Your weekly summary from the Council

 LATEST ANALYSIS 

• Border Patrol is Going After Humanitarian Aid in the Arizona Desert—Again
  
  The Border Patrol raided a humanitarian aid camp with assault rifles, an armored vehicle, ATVs, a helicopter, and multiple unmarked vehicles. Advocates filed a Freedom of Information Act request to demand footage of the event, agency communications, and search warrants. Read More »
   
• ICE Deported Cameroonian Immigrants Despite Protests and Congressional Intervention
  
  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported a flight of approximately 100 African asylum seekers to their home countries, where they could face immediate arrest and death. ICE went forward with the deportations even after Congress attempted to intervene. Read More »
   
• Department of Justice Eliminates Diversity and Inclusion Training for All Immigration Judges
  
  The decision could have a particularly devastating impact on the U.S. immigration court system. Immigration judges are often tasked with hearing incredibly sensitive cases from persecuted minorities, many of whom are women and LGBTQ individuals from around the world. Read More »
   
• Indigenous People Face Persistent Language Access Challenges in Immigration Detention
  
  Many people detained by immigration enforcement do not speak English or Spanish. But the U.S. government rarely provides adequate language services—including interpreters—for those who speak indigenous languages. Read More »

 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW 

• ICE officers and agents completed a mandatory online training course on the expanded expedited removal policy October 16. Now, they could begin using the new expanded expedited removal powers. One of the major problems with expedited removal is that the immigration officer making the decision virtually has unchecked authority.
  
  Read more: A Primer on Expedited Removal

 ACROSS THE NATION 

• A Cameroonian asylum seeker was taken off their deportation flight moments before takeoff. They were protected because of a preliminary injunction granted in Al Otro Lado v. Wolf, a case filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the American Immigration Council.
  
  Read more: Challenging Customs and Border Protection's Unlawful Practice of Turning Away Asylum Seekers
   
• The American Immigration Council filed a Freedom of Information Act request to uncover footage Customs and Border Protection officials recorded during its raids on a camp where volunteers provide humanitarian aid in the deadly Sonoran Desert.
  
  Read more: Investigating Border Patrol’s Militarized Raids on Humanitarian Aid Station

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

“Asking whether America needs immigrants is like asking whether our nation should even exist at all. You might even say the question is designed to divide us and push us to turn our backs on others. This is the opposite of what we must do in a time of national crisis. We need everyone working together to move America forward.

“The most important indication of who we are as Americans is how we treat other people. Most Americans know that being a welcoming neighbor is part of what makes us strong. We are a nation that welcomes new ideas, new energy, and new dreamers to come and make new lives here, and we always will be.”

– Wendy Feliz, director for Inclusion and Belonging at the American Immigration Council," Should America Still Welcome Immigrants?" in Upfront Magazine

 FURTHER READING 

• The Associated Press: Cameroonian asylum-seekers accuse US of forcing deportation

• TechCrunch: Trump’s latest immigration restrictions are bad news for American workers

• The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Medical care in immigrant detention facilities deserves scrutiny

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