Plus, we're challenging ICE's illegal & warrantless arrests in court.
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| Congress moves harmful and wasteful budget reconciliation forward Despite major opposition from communities, including more than 250 organizations and 36 child welfare groups, the Senate passed a budget reconciliation bill this week that adds trillions to the national debt, strips health care coverage from millions of families, and guts programs that help children--all while dedicating more than $150 billion to abduct and disappear community members. Plainly speaking, this bill is a full-out attack on kids, families, and each one of our community members. Read NIJC’s statement and new joint explainer created with the National Immigration Law Center, Human Rights First and Immigration Hub outlining the most dangerous parts of the reconciliation bill. The House of Representatives is debating the bill and may vote on it imminently. TAKE ACTION NOW: Tell Congress to reject this harmful budget and invest in our communities instead. |
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| | NIJC challenges illegal, warrantless arrests by ICE in court At a federal hearing for oral arguments about the Castañon Nava settlement, NIJC and ACLU of Illinois argued that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested and detained 25 people, including a U.S. citizen, without warrants or probable cause in violation of Fourth Amendment protections. IN THE NEWS: “The most troubling thing is that we have a law enforcement agency in the United States that clearly does not believe that the Fourth Amendment applies to any of their arrests,” said NIJC Associate Director of Litigation Mark Fleming in an interview WBEZ Chicago when reflecting on ICE's latest wave of illegal arrests. “They have tried to set up a parallel universe of policies.” Read the article here and view the full livestream of the press conference following the hearing on the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights' (ICIRR) page. |
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| | Supreme Court ruling limits judicial oversight The Supreme Court ruled to limit federal judges' ability to temporarily pause presidential policies and actions via universal injunctions. The ruling came in a case involving President Trump’s January 20 executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship in the U.S. NIJC Director of Litigation Keren Zwick cautioned of the dangerous precedent that this ruling sets for enabling the Executive Branch. "This decision opens a pathway for the president to break the law at will," she said. "By the time the courts are able to declare the president’s conduct illegal–no matter how blatant and harmful that conduct is–the damage will already be done." Read NIJC's response to this ruling here. |
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| | NIJC testifies at Congressional hearing on due process Abductions and detentions by ICE are rising, with agents now targeting people in immigration court hearings as part of a broader attack on due process and legal services. At the same time, Congress is advancing one of the worst anti-immigrant budget bills of all time. Last week, members of Congress led by Representative Jayapal, a former immigration judge, immigration attorneys, and legal advocates like NIJC, Fairness to Freedom, Acacia Center for Justice, Immigrant ARC, Vera Institute of Justice, and National Partnership for New Americans spoke at a shadow hearing on the nation’s due process crisis. Watch NIJC Policy Director Azadeh Erfani’s testimony. |
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| | Congress must continue oversight of ICE detention centers Limitless funding and lack of oversight have enabled ICE to break the law and face zero accountability while endangering people's lives. Our elected officials need to conduct oversight of immigration detention. NIJC Associate Director of Government Relations Cecilia Mendoza joined community leaders from ICIRR, Palenque LSNA, and members of Congress who were denied access to the ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois to call for an end to ICE's abuses of our community members. IN THE NEWS: "At a time when Congress is debating the biggest historical increase in funding for immigration mega prisons, it is imperative that our elected officials see firsthand the inside of these facilities and prevent any more funding for ICE detention," said Jesse Franzblau, NIJC's associate director of policy. NIJC, ACLU, and Detention Watch Network released a new guide to assist members of Congress with doing in-person oversight visits of ICE detention facilities in their districts and states. Access the guide here. |
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| | People from around the world attend clinic to apply for green cards At a recent legal clinic with NIJC, pro bono attorneys from Kirkland & Ellis helped people from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Russia, Mexico, and El Salvador apply for their green cards. Many thanks to our partners at Kirkland & Ellis for hosting the clinic and assisting 13 community members with this important next step in their immigration process! Celebrate this great moment with our colleagues on social media. |
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| | Registration now open for July DACA renewal clinic If you know someone in need of expert legal aid to renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, invite them to join our free, in-person legal clinic in downtown Chicago on July 16, where top attorneys and NIJC staff will assist all eligible applicants. The deadline to register is July 7th! Get detailed info on our upcoming DACA renewal clinic and sign up here. |
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| | | NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER
111 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 800 | Chicago, Illinois 60604
immigrantjustice.org |
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