Long history of cruel treatment of Haitian migrants must stop

Haitians fleeing turmoil at home are being met with cruelty as they try to seek protection the United States. Recently, 39 leaders of human and civil rights organizations, including NIJC's Mary Meg McCarthy, wrote a letter to the Biden administration opposing its violent expulsions of Haitian asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. This is not the first time that U.S. authorities have treated people seeking asylum from Haiti ostensibly worse than others. NIJC's blog post looks at how policies rooted in white supremacy and anti-Black racism have led to the United States' inhumane treatment of Haitian immigrants over the past several decades.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the petition demanding the Biden administration HALT all deportations to Haiti!

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Despite new proposed regulations, DACA is not enough

The Biden administration announced it will issue regulations open for public comment that will lay out who may benefit from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and how people may apply. We stand with young immigrant leaders in stressing that DACA is not enough and we need citizenship for all in our communities. View our updated FAQs, available in English and Spanish, for information on how the proposed rules may impact the DACA program.

Biden administration expands private detention

News broke last week that the Biden administration is expanding private, for-profit immigration detention. This flies in the face of his promises to address human rights abuses and racial injustice in the immigration system. Read our statement with Detention Watch Network.

Victory: Federal court orders ICE to stop detaining young immigrants

A federal court found U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) broke the law by detaining unaccompanied immigrant youth on their 18th birthdays and ordered ICE to change its ways. NIJC is grateful to Kirkland & Ellis LLP, our partners in this case through three years of litigation, and to American Immigration Council.  See our statement on this victory.

Congress must deliver on citizenship

In response to the Senate parliamentarian’s disappointing recommendation to exclude a pathway to citizenship from the budget reconciliation bill, NIJC calls on the Senate leadership to follow through on their commitments to citizenship. Immigrants who have built lives here, are parts of our communities, and have carried our country through the pandemic need citizenship now.

NIJC and pro bono partners receive award

We are honored to be recognized with our partners McDonald's Corporation, Goldberg Kohn, and Jenner & Block LLP for the Pro Bono Institute's 2021 Corporate Pro Bono Partner Award. As October is National Pro Bono Month, we celebrate how our pro bono partnerships make a world of difference for immigrants and asylum seekers. Read more about the award.