Abuse & conditions worsen as immigration detention system expands

A new ground-breaking report by NIJC, Human Rights Watch, and ACLU details abuses and expansion in the immigration jail system during the Trump administration. We found poor conditions, terrible medical care (even before COVID-19), and due process violations. See more.

More immigrants sue for freedom from immigration jail

NIJC filed new lawsuits to get people immediately released from immigration jails in Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, and California as COVID-19 spreads. So far, NIJC has filed nine lawsuits on behalf of immigrants urging their release since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has engaged in advocacy with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on behalf of dozens more. The first three lawsuits resulted in the quick release of those individuals. See more about the lawsuits.

WATCH: Trapped during a pandemic

There are COVID-19 outbreaks in immigration jails around the country and ICE refuses to release people. Watch a recording of our virtual event with Sidley Austin LLP, Trapped During a Pandemic: The Fight for Freedom from Immigration Detention, about the dire situation people trapped inside immigration jails are experiencing during the pandemic and the heroic efforts to get people out. Watch the event recording.

IN THE NEWS: Some of those whom ICE continues to detain are young adults who came to the U.S. alone as children, and on their 18th birthday, were taken from a children's shelter and sent to a jail. NIJC and Kirkland & Ellis filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the practice. The New York Times recently spoke to plaintiffs and litigators about the case.

Immigrants speak out about experience in detention during COVID-19

Marco and Ibraheem were recently released from immigration jail with the assistance of NIJC. They courageously shared their experiences being trapped in ICE jails during the COVID-19 pandemic during a Congressional briefing this month. Read Marco's and Ibraheem's stories.

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Children must be released from shelters amid COVID-19

Children in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) custody, including in Chicago, are now known to have COVID-19. Children remain unnecessarily at risk in ORR custody, because the Trump administration has obstructed their release to the family members and sponsors willing and waiting to care for them. ORR must immediately release as many children as possible. Read NIJC's statement.

IN THE NEWS: Meanwhile, immigrant children must appear in virtual hearings as their court cases continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic. NIJC's Ashley Huebner spoke to CNN about the unnecessary and challenging situation these children face as their cases continue.

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Blocking immigration will harm communities reeling from COVID-19

The Trump administration's order to block immigration is a political move that will do nothing to stabilize our country’s economy or improve public health. It will disrupt and destabilize American families who already are in survival mode — particularly working class and communities of color who are bearing the brunt of this crisis due to the United States’ long history of systemic racism, which this administration has championed since taking office. See NIJC's statement.

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DACA recipients are essential to U.S. - before, during, and after the pandemic

During the COVID-19 crisis, the important impact that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients have on our society "has never been so evident and so paramount," says partner at DLA Piper LLP and NIJC Leadership Board member Richard Klawiter in an op-ed in Crain's Chicago Business. 27,000 DACA recipients are health care workers and many more work in essential businesses and services playing a critical role during the coronavirus pandemic. The Supreme Court must uphold DACA for the safety and stability of our nation.