US Customs and Border Protection

Immigrants from Ecuador warm themselves by a fire after sunrise along a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border barrier, as they await processing by the U.S. Border Patrol, after crossing from Mexico on May 22, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona.

The Absurdity and Destruction of the Push to Force Title 42 Continuation

"The forced continuation of Title 42 serves to prevent border officers from upholding immigration law, and leads to more disorder, human suffering, and the subversion of law."

Jul. 1, 2022 Eleanor Acer

Refugees walk through the rainforest in the Darien Gap in route towards the United States on October 05, 2021 near Acandi, Colombia. Some of the adults carry large backpacks while others carry small children on their backs.

US Brutality Against Haitian Migrants Highlights US-Mexico Collusion and Repositioning in Latin America

Mexico intensifies crackdown on migrants and trade alliance with US, while renewing bid for Latin American leadership.

Oct. 7, 2021 Camilo Pérez-Bustillo

Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

Immigration Policy Before and After 9/11: From the INS to DHS – Where Did We Go Wrong?

Creating DHS, escalated the adversarial approach to immigration by blurring the lines between national security and immigration enforcement.

Sep. 9, 2021 Camille J. Mackler

An American flag flies at the U.S. Border Patrol station where lawyers reported that detained migrant children had been held unbathed and hungry on June 26, 2019 in Clint, Texas. A fence with barbed wire surrounds the complex.

Ending PACR/HARP: An Urgent Step Toward Restoring Humane Asylum Policy

An under-reported policy change has left asylum-seekers in inhumane detention conditions, unable to access legal counsel. The Biden administration must end the policy.

Feb. 16, 2021 Kate Huddleston

Packages fill the shelves in the Miguel Nieto Department Store on February 1, 2020 in Presidio, Texas. - Ranchers from both sides of the border use the the Miguel Nieto Department Store as a pick up spot for their packages because they live in such remote locations.

The President and Immigration Law Series: The Consequences of the Free Rein of Enforcement on Borderlands Society

Next in our President and Immigration Law series, Josiah Heyman explores how an emphasis on enforcement transforms U.S. borderlands into enforcement zones of maximal executive…

Oct. 13, 2020 Josiah Heyman

The Statue of Liberty is viewed from the rooftop of the new Statue of Liberty Museum, May 13, 2019 on Liberty Island in New York City.

The President and Immigration Law: Introduction to a Just Security Series

In order to develop a meaningful reform agenda, it is essential to understand how the U.S. immigration system and the president’s prominent role within it came to be. In a new…

Oct. 12, 2020 Cristina Rodríguez and Adam Cox

U.S. Army soldiers work fortifying the US-Mexico border fence with barbed wire on November 26, 2018 in Mexicali, Mexico.

DOD Inspector General’s Report Whitewashes Potential Violations of the Posse Comitatus Act

In finding no violation of Posse Comitatus Act, the IG misinterprets federal law and exaggerates the power of DOD policy — creating a dangerous precedent for the domestic use…

Sep. 3, 2020 Joseph Nunn

Asylum seekers in face masks wait to enter a US port of entry.

There is No Public Health Rationale for a Categorical Ban on Asylum Seekers

"We asked six infectious disease epidemiology experts to respond to the CDC's public health justifications for closing the border to asylum seekers." Their unanimous response:…

Apr. 17, 2020 Joanna Naples-Mitchell

Families sit and lie in overcrowded cells without privacy. Many individuals huddle in thin metallic emergency blankets as bedding. Barbed wire fencing serves as walls.

Holding DHS Accountable for a Child’s Death in the Custody of Border Patrol

A thorough federal criminal investigation under the civil rights laws is warranted in the case of 16-year-old Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez.

Dec. 9, 2019 Carrie Cordero, Heidi Li Feldman and 1 more

Protestors led by a coalition of interfaith religious leaders demonstrate against US immigration policy that separates parents from their children, June 23, 2018 outside the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, California. A sign reads, “Stop caging families,” and many protestors wear shirts reading, “& Vote.”

Fear and Loathing on the Border: A First-Hand Look at the Travesty

Far from the loophole-ridden sieve described by the administration, the asylum system we saw was a Kafka-esque labyrinth designed to punish migrants who dare to exercise their…

Sep. 13, 2019 Ambassador Donald Steinberg

Protestors hold a demonstration against U.S. Customs and Border Patrol funding during a rally inside the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda on June 25, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Border Agents’ Secret Facebook Group Highlights Social Media Vetting Risks for Immigrants

Government social media monitoring is ripe for abuse in any context, but the implications of Customs and Border Protection's environment of racism and lack of oversight demand…

Aug. 1, 2019 Raya Koreh

U.S. Border Patrol agents search a vehicle that was sent to secondary inspection at a highway checkpoint on August 1, 2018 in West Enfield, Maine.

Congress Tackles the “100-Mile” Border Zone for Federal Checkpoints

A long-festering issue affecting the entire U.S. border on the north, south, east, and west is finally getting congressional attention: the so-called “100-mile border zone”…

Jul. 30, 2019 Patrick G. Eddington