Lawmakers Sue ICE To Protect Right To Visit Detention Centers Unannounced
Lawmakers say a new DHS rule requiring advance notice for detention center visits undermines congressional oversight.
Immigration
Patrick Eddington: How to 'Tyranny-Proof' America
The former CIA analyst and Cato scholar discusses Palantir, Trump's new national database, and the sordid history of federal law enforcement on Just Asking Questions.
My New Dispatch Article on Judicial Review of Emergency Powers
It makes the case for strong judicial review of executive invocations of sweeping emergency powers.
Wife of Marine Corps Veteran Released After 2 Months in ICE Detention
Paola Clouatre had no previous convictions and was detained immediately following a green card interview.
On Sanctuary Cities, It's Trump vs. the 10th Amendment
The anticommandeering doctrine stands in the way of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Woman Who Died of Heart Disease in ICE Custody Reportedly Told Son She Wasn't Allowed to See Doctor for Chest Pains
Questions about the death of Marie Blaise at a South Florida ICE detention center have lingered since she collapsed in April.
Trump Administration Takes Credit for Crime Drop It Previously Denied Existed
The Department of Homeland Security is boasting that its mass deportation program is responsible for a major drop in crime. That's unlikely for several reasons.
This U.S. Citizen Recorded an Immigration Arrest. Officers Told Him To Delete It or Face Charges.
The peaceful traffic stop in Florida turned violent after immigration officers arrived and used chokeholds and a stun gun to make arrests.
How Sports Tickets Got So Expensive—Or Did They?
Plus: regulating college sports, forgiving baseball’s legends, and Happy Gilmore 2
History Isn't on the DOJ's Side in Its Case Against NYC's Sanctuary Policies
The Trump administration's lawsuit against New York City challenges decades of sanctuary policies and local independence.
Federal Court Rejects Trump Lawsuit Challenging Illinois Sanctuary Policies
The court ruled the state and local policies are protected by the Tenth Amendment.
Two Cases That Demonstrate the Incoherence of Trump's Immigration Policy
The Trump administration cut a deal with Venezuela to return a triple murderer to American shores while it tries to deport someone accused of much less.
My Jotwell Review of Michael Ramsey's "The Originalist Case Against the Insular Cases"
The article makes a compelling argument that has broader implications.
Appeals Court Rules Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order is Unconstitutional and Upholds Nationwide Injunction Against it
The court ruled that a nationwide injunction is the only way to provide complete relief to the state government plaintiffs in the case.
Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Is Unconstitutional, Says the First Appeals Court to Consider the Issue
The judgment is not surprising, since the president's reading of the 14th Amendment contradicts its text and history, plus 127 years of Supreme Court precedent.
Treasonous Conspiracy
Plus: Columbia settles, State Department releases murderer, and more...
Ninth Circuit Upholds Nationwide Injunction in State Suit Against Birthright Citizenship Order
Judge Bumatay objects on standing grounds, arguing that courts should not seek to offset narrowing one form of relief by expanding another: "That would be like squeezing one end of a balloon—it just pushes all the air to the other end."
Why I Distrust Social Trust Rationales for Immigration Restrictions
Evidence indicates immigration doesn't actually undermine social trust, and that reductions in social trust aren't necessarily bad, anyway.
Trump Administration Plans To Spend $1.26 Billion on an Immigrant Detention Center in Texas
The latest detention facility will house up to 5,000 detainees and function as a central hub for deportation operations.
Defending Its Speech-Based Deportation Policy, the Trump Administration Says 'No Such Policy Exists'
The government's gaslighting strategy suggests that federal officials are not confident about the constitutionality of punishing students for expressing anti-Israel views.
Tom Homan's Plan To 'Flood the Zone' in Sanctuary Cities Will Lead to More Due Process Violations
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan blamed the shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer on the policies of sanctuary cities like New York.
'Alligator Alcatraz' Contracts Disappeared From a Florida State Database
A state official says the contracts contained "proprietary information," so they were scrubbed and replaced with bare-bones summaries.
Report Alleges Degrading Treatment and Medical Neglect at South Florida ICE Detention Centers
One former ICE detainee says he and a group of men were forced to kneel with their hands tied behind their backs and eat "like dogs."
How Trump's Travel Crackdown Is Hurting Americans at Home and Abroad
From trade wars to visa restrictions, policies aimed at foreigners are backfiring on U.S. travelers—raising costs, shrinking freedoms, and souring global goodwill.
Trump's Alien Enemies Act Deportees Sent Back to Venezuela in Shameful Hostage Deal [Updated]
After being ilegally deported and imprisoned in El Salvador, they will now be sent back to the oppressive regime they fled in the first place, in exchange for ten Americans detained by the Venezuelan government.
ICE Is Shipping Detainees to Hawaii as Bed Space on the U.S. Mainland Fills Up
Immigrant detainees transferred thousands of miles from where they were first arrested face unique challenges in immigration court.
Major League Soccer Struggles With Free Speech as Fans Protest Trump's Immigration Policies
Recent protests at MLS matches and the ensuing bans for some fans have put the league in a delicate position, balancing tolerance and enforcement.
Judicial Nominee Emil Bove Can't Recall Whether He Said the DOJ Might Say 'Fuck You' To Court Orders
The alleged incident goes to the heart of the objections raised by critics who worry about Bove's respect for the rule of law.
As ICE Agents Hide Their Faces, ICE Attorneys Are Hiding Their Names in Immigration Courts
One immigration judge referred to an ICE attorney as merely “Department” during a hearing.
'Alligator Alcatraz' Detainees Say in New Lawsuit They're Being Denied Access to Their Attorneys
The lawsuit says attorneys have been repeatedly turned away from the detention camp and had virtual meetings mysteriously canceled.
Afghan Allies Under Pressure to Self-Deport: Voices from Camp As Sayliyah
"We have no criticism of the U.S. government—on the contrary, we are truly thankful. However, we are deeply afraid of the possibility of being returned to Afghanistan."
A Compelling Defense of Immigration Parole Programs
My Cato Institute colleague David Bier presented it in testimony before a congressional committee.
Leaked Blueprint Reveals ICE Plan To Use IRS Data To Increase Detentions
ICE wants to access confidential IRS data to locate tax-paying undocumented immigrants and boost detention numbers.
Lawyers and Families Report Squalid Conditions and Lack of Legal Access at Alligator Alcatraz
Numerous accounts of lack of showers, overflowing toilets, and inability to meet with lawyers are emerging from the detention center in the middle of the Everglades.
Immigrant Rights Group Says Its Billboards Opposing Alligator Alcatraz Were Taken Down Under Political Pressure
The Florida Immigrant Coalition's new billboards were restored less than a day after being taken down, but why were they removed in the first place?
MAGA's Epstein Files Fight Shows the Long Tail of QAnon
Like sex trafficking panic more broadly, the Epstein files are a useful political tool—as long as they remain hidden.
Leaked Memo: ICE To Block Bond Hearings for Millions of Undocumented Immigrants. Detentions To Skyrocket.
Immigrants who arrive illegally in the U.S. may be detained for months or years as they await a resolution to their immigration cases.
Americans Want Order, not Cruelty, at the Border
Trump promised to target violent criminals. He lost support when he went after harmless immigrants.
The Class Action Threat to Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order
Plus: A fond farewell to Black Sabbath.
Life as an Academic Defender of the Intuitively Obvious
Academics are supposed to discover nonobvious, counterintituitive truths. But, especially in recent years, much of my work involves defending positions that seem obvious to most laypeople, even though many experts deny them.
The Original Alcatraz Closed for Costing Too Much. Alligator Alcatraz Should Too.
Florida’s elected officials should learn from the original facility that inspired the state’s newest immigrant detention center's name, and change course before it’s too late.
Hundreds of 'Alligator Alcatraz' Detainees Don't Have Criminal Records
Trump said the prison camp would hold "some of the most vicious people on the planet," but a list obtained by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Tribune shows otherwise.
Federal Court Rules Against Racial Profiling in "Roving" Immigration Enforcement Raids
Racial profiling is a longstanding problem, exacerbated by Trump Administration deportation policies.
Can American Citizens Lose Their Citizenship?
Yes, but only if they intend to relinquish it (or, if they are naturalized citizens and committed fraud during the naturalization process).
Digital Nomads Are Getting Caught in the War on Tourism
Countries are welcoming remote workers with digital nomad visas—while cracking down on the very lifestyle that makes nomadism possible.
Bill Kristol Is Alarmed That a President Would Ship Accused Foreign Enemies to an Overseas Prison
The hawkish defender of Guantanamo Bay and the post-9/11 security state worries President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown is threatening civil liberties.
Federal Court Issues Class Action Injunction Against Trump's Birthright Citizenship Executive Order [Updated]
This ruling was widely expected in the wake of the Supreme Court's decison barring nationwide injunctions.
