Immigration
These Children’s Drawings Show What It’s Like To Wait For Asylum At The US–Mexico Border
“Don’t forget about us.”
The Law That Led To Trump’s Family Separation Crisis Has A Racist History. Now These Attorneys Are Fighting Against It In Court.
“We regularly see people who receive years in prison for what is essentially glorified trespassing.”
The Number Of Desperate Immigrants Who Die While Trying To Get Into The US Keeps Rising
“There’s no hope on the horizon,” one nonprofit director told BuzzFeed News.
A Man Is Accused Of Firing A Shotgun At A Group Of Immigrants, Killing One And Injuring Another
Michael Sheppard was the warden at the West Texas Detention Center before he was arrested for allegedly shooting two immigrants, one fatally.
Border Agents Keep Sending Immigrants To Wrong Addresses With Little Regard For How It Could Affect Their Court Cases, Advocates Say
"It's troubling. … Once they arrived, they were told it's not a shelter but an office building."
A Texas Sheriff Opened A Criminal Investigation Into Gov. DeSantis’s Political Stunt Of Sending Immigrants To Martha’s Vineyard
Nearly 50 immigrants from Venezuela were flown from Texas to Florida to Martha's Vineyard last week by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Republican Governors Are Sending Thousands Of Immigrants To Liberal Cities, But The Political Stunt Is Having A Ripple Effect
"Most immigrants on the buses are really happy and thankful for the governor's free bus ride.”
Immigrants Keep Getting Lied To By Human Smugglers On Platforms Like Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok
"It raises a lot of questions about the platform's willingness to deal with offers of smuggling across the platform because it is profiting from them."
Their Dogs Stuck With Them On The Perilous Journey To The US, Only To Get Separated At The Border
"It can't be that these dogs endured these horrific journeys only to just go missing without anybody knowing what happened to them."
Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Who Are Pregnant And In US Custody Are Being Moved Across State Lines To Access Abortion Services
Many immigrant children arrive in the US after fleeing abuse and sexual violence back home.
The US Has Started To Wind Down The “Remain In Mexico” Policy That Put Thousands Of Immigrants At Risk Of Danger While They Waited For A Court Date
Human rights advocates tracked hundreds of cases of immigrants being kidnapped, raped, and tortured while the US government forced them to wait in Mexico until their cases could be heard in court.
It Will Now Be Harder For Unaccompanied Immigrant Children To Languish In Government Custody
“I’ll always remember the months when the government kept me separated from my two sons."
Many Of The Immigrants Who Died In The Trailer Of A Big Rig In Texas Were Trying To Make Money To Send Home To Their Impoverished Families
"What the tragedy in San Antonio, Texas, reveals is something alarming," one expert said.
Republicans Don't Think Undocumented Immigrant Babies Should Get Formula Over Americans
Republican lawmakers say sending baby formula amid a nationwide shortage to feed undocumented immigrant infants is "unconscionable."
A Judge Has Temporarily Stopped The Biden Administration From Ending Title 42
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced plans to end Title 42, the Trump-era policy that claimed the pandemic made speedy expulsions necessary.
The Biden Administration Plans To Put Some Deportations On Hold As Immigration Courts Face A Staggering Backlog
A memo obtained by BuzzFeed News outlines the deportation cases the administration wants to prioritize and which should be taken off court calendars.
Ukrainians Are Getting Special Treatment At The US Border That Other Asylum-Seekers Fleeing Violence Aren’t, Immigration Lawyers Say
"It is really jarring seeing how the welcome wagon was rolled out in comparison to how it's been going for others."
The Biden Administration Is Now Allowing Prosecutors To Dismiss Certain Deportation Cases
The memo is the latest effort on the part of the Biden administration’s push to reshape the role of immigration enforcement in the US.
Biden Is Ending Trump-Era Border Restrictions For Asylum-Seekers
Critics have long accused the US of using the pandemic as an excuse to get around asylum obligations and discourage immigrants from attempting to cross the border.
Asylum-Seekers Forced To Wait In Mexico Face Horrid Conditions In Shelters, Legal Aid Groups Say
Immigrants in shelters near the US border report having to deal with restricted access to phones, lack of privacy, and threats of being kicked out. Some disappear after venturing outside.
“Migrants Could Be Caught In The Middle”: An Internal DHS Email Details Potential Dangers For Asylum-Seekers In Mexico
Immigrants sent back to dangerous border towns in Mexico while trying to obtain asylum face gang violence, rape, and kidnapping.
An Inspector General Report That Called For Immigrants To Be Removed From Unsanitary Conditions Has Sparked A Big Interagency Fight
The recommendation to remove all detainees was met with a blistering response from ICE officials who called into question the integrity of the report.
Some Ukrainians Can Be Exempt From A Trump-Era Policy That Expels Immigrants At The Border
As with other immigrants and asylum-seekers, border authorities have been told they can make exceptions for Ukrainians on a case-by-case basis.
This Man Drove 80 Hours To Help Ukrainians, While Police In Spain Beat African Immigrants
“I don’t have a tank, I don’t have weapons, but I have a car,” Héctor Pérez said.
Biden Will Allow Afghan Immigrants In The US To Obtain Temporary Protected Status
The move, allowing more than 70,000 Afghans in the US to apply for TPS, is designed to protect them from returning to unsafe conditions in their homeland.
The Biden Administration Has Been Planning To Tell Mexico That A Trump-Era Policy Could Soon End And Attract More Immigrants To The Border
Returning to prepandemic practices could “seriously strain” border resources and lead to a challenging humanitarian situation in northern Mexico, a draft Department of Homeland Security document warns.
ICE Conducted Sweeping Surveillance Of Money Transfers Sent To And From The US, A Senator Says
Sen. Ron Wyden is seeking an investigation into whether the program, which obtained about 6 million records from people in several Southwest states, was constitutional.
A Judge Has Ordered The Biden Administration To Resume Trump’s Policy Of Expelling Unaccompanied Immigrant Children At The Border
President Biden has continued to invoke the public health order to expel most immigrants at the southern border, but was making an exception for children who arrive without an adult family member.
Biden Will Allow Ukrainian Immigrants In The US To Obtain Temporary Protected Status
The move comes as an estimated 1 million Ukrainians have fled Russia’s brutal invasion.
Biden Is Expanding The Number Of Sudanese And South Sudanese Who Can Obtain Temporary Protected Status In The US
The Trump administration had tried to roll back the protections, but DHS officials say immigrants from the region still face violence and political turmoil back home.
These ICE Detainees With High-Risk Medical Conditions Fought For Months To Be Released — And They’re Just The Ones We Know About
“The lack of medical care is leading to some pretty scary situations for people who are detained there for months and months,” one attorney said.
Six Months After The Fall Of Kabul, These Afghan Refugees Are Working To Rebuild Their Lives In The US
Six months since more than 75,000 Afghans were evacuated to the US, some of the arrivals are among those helping other refugees navigate their new home.
Immigrants Desperate For Medical Aid Aren't Being Let In On Humanitarian Grounds
“It should not take a call to a congressperson for a child with blood clots in the brain or [a] tangled spinal cord to be considered urgent humanitarian circumstances,” one attorney said.
A Chinese Immigrant Who Was Brutally Attacked Has Died Of His Injuries Months Later
Yao Pan Ma, 61, had been in a coma since the assault in April 2021. His alleged attacker has been charged with a hate crime and other charges.
US Border Authorities Have Incorrectly Placed Immigrants With Medical Conditions In The Relaunched “Remain In Mexico” Program, Attorneys Say
At least nine immigrants identified by attorneys as being vulnerable have been taken out of the program, but one was mistakenly returned to Mexico.
More Asylum-Seekers Are Being Forced To Wait In Mexico Under A Restarted Trump-Era Program
The Biden administration has maintained it is being forced to restart the program, but it has also expanded who is eligible.
Internal Investigators Told ICE To Stop Sending Immigrants To A Prison In Louisiana Because Of A Culture That Can Lead To Abuse
“By the time I get them out, they are half the person they used to be.”
Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation To Arrest Immigrants At The Texas Border Is Actually Helping Some Asylum-Seekers Stay In The Country
Operation Lone Star is "ironically allowing some of our clients to access asylum proceedings" that they normally would have been cut off from, one attorney said.
Biden Was Forced To Bring Back Trump’s “Remain In Mexico” Policy, But Now He’s Expanding The Pool Of Immigrants Who Can Get Caught Up In It
“It is very mixed messaging when leaders from the US and Mexico who so strongly oppose the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy reimplement it with an even broader scope,” one expert said.
This Immigration Lawyer Is Going Viral For Exposing Why A Couple's Marriage May Be Seen As Fraud During The Green Card Interview, And It's So Fascinating
Large age gaps are considered a red flag. 🚩 🚩 🚩
Immigration Attorneys Say They Won’t Be Complicit In The Biden Administration’s Relaunched "Remain In Mexico" Program
"I am not willing to or able to emotionally and physically continue to put my life at risk because the Biden administration has broken its promise and decided to reinstate this utterly evil program."
Biden Is Trying To End "Remain In Mexico" Even As His Administration Prepares To Restart It
The Biden administration issued a second memo in an attempt to end a Trump-era policy that forced thousands of immigrants to wait in Mexico.
Biden Officials Plan To Expand The List Of Places Where Immigration Agents Would Be Limited From Making Arrests
Immigration officers are restricted from making arrests at schools and hospitals. The new policy would include additional domestic violence shelters.
A Leaked US Government Report Documents How People With Medical Conditions And Disabilities Were Forced Into The “Remain In Mexico” Program
The report offers a rare window into the behind-the-scenes dysfunction and confusion surrounding the so-called Remain in Mexico program, which is set to come back.
Advocates Left A Meeting With Biden Officials Over Plans To Restart A Trump-Era Border Policy
The Biden administration said it was being forced by a court order to restart the Remain in Mexico policy as soon as mid-November.
The Biden Administration Has Suspended A Trump-Era Policy That Put Immigrants At Risk Of Being Deported Without Due Process
The decision comes after BuzzFeed News inquired about data detailing how the little-known policy was used for several immigrants this year.
The Biden Administration Is Moving To End Mass Worksite Raids That Resulted In Hundreds Of Immigrants Being Arrested
The so-called worksite operations resulted in some of the largest single-day arrests of undocumented immigrants during former president Donald Trump’s presidency.
The Biden Administration Is Giving ICE Officers Flexibility In Targeting "Public Safety" Threats
“This is putting a lot more trust in the agents’ approach,” one former ICE leader told BuzzFeed News.
The Biden Administration Is Providing Legal Representation For Certain Immigrant Children In Eight US Cities
The new initiative will provide government-funded legal representation to certain children in Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland.
Immigrants Who Escaped The Texas Camp Crackdown Are Facing Another Set Of Dire Circumstances In Mexico
“I’d like to stay here in Mexico, but I’m scared because I don’t have permission to be here,” one immigrant told BuzzFeed News. “I don't know what to do."
A Top Immigration Judge Who Stepped Down Under Trump Has Now Been Chosen To Lead The Court System
David Neal left in 2019, when many immigration judges were concerned about how Trump had reshaped the work the court was doing.
Biden’s Approach To Immigration Is Causing A Huge Internal Rift And Leading To A Lot Of Confusion
“Honestly, I don’t know how much longer I can stay at DHS if this continues,” one official said.
Haitians Who Fled The US Border Are Now Facing Nights Of Raids And Terror In Mexico
One Haitian father, chased from the US border by dire conditions and the threat of deportation flights, defended his family from armed Mexican officials at a hotel in an early morning standoff.
Photos From The Texas Border Show The Desperation Of Thousands Of Haitians At A Makeshift Camp
After crossing from Mexico into Texas, thousands of people are now living in squalid conditions as they await deportation.
Thousands Of Haitians Lack Food, Water, And Medicine At A Bleak US–Mexico Border Camp
Natural disasters and political instability have for years sent Haitians fleeing their country. Now they’ve made camp at the US border: “This is worse than being in prison.”
Biden’s Border Policy Is Trapping LGBTQ Asylum-Seekers In Dangerous Conditions In Mexico
"We're exposed here and very scared of what might happen to us now."
“Remain In Mexico” Asylum-Seekers Thought There Was Hope Under Biden, But Despair Is Sinking Back In
"One day we were waiting on the call to enter the US, and the next we don't know if we will ever be allowed in."
Immigrant Children Were Burned With Scalding Water And Threatened At An Emergency Shelter, A Whistleblower Said
The federal employee also reported that many children at another shelter suffered from dehydration and developed gastrointestinal issues.
“We Know How They Suffer”: These Volunteers Are Committed To Searching For Lost Immigrants In The Desert
Most of the volunteers are immigrants who took similar paths across the dangerous desert and feel a responsibility to do what they can.
The Supreme Court Ruled That Biden Must Restart Trump's "Remain In Mexico" Program
The Trump-era program forced more than 71,000 immigrants and asylum-seekers to wait in dangerous areas in Mexico while a US judge ruled on their case.
ICE Prosecutors Have Been Told To No Longer Use A Biden Memo That Provided More Power To Decide Which Immigration Cases To Drop
The email indicates that a federal ruling on Thursday will have major implications for ICE and how it operates.
A Judge Is Requiring The Biden Administration To Restart Trump’s Remain In Mexico Policy For Asylum-Seekers
The Biden administration could still ask the Supreme Court to step in and block the order to resume the Migration Protection Protocols.
At Least Five Of The Children Who Were Taken From Their Parents At The Border Were Sent To ICE Detention When They Turned 18
“Then to have this traumatic experience of being essentially arrested by ICE and then put in an orange jumpsuit in a detention facility or jail — talk about layers of trauma."
A Judge Said The Biden Administration Can’t Choose Which Immigrants To Prioritize For Arrest
It’s the latest setback in the courts for the Biden administration’s immigration policy.
An Afghan Man Who Translated For the US Military Is Now Desperately Trying To Save His Family From The Taliban
“We are trying to figure out how to have my family survive, to not be tortured or beheaded.”
Biden Issued A New Policy That Would Reshape How Asylum-Seekers Are Processed At The Border
The new action aims to prevent an increase in the backlog of immigration court cases by having asylum officers handle cases initially instead of judges.
Detained Immigrant Teens Feel Desperate And Hopeless At Emergency Shelters, Attorneys Say
"These sites are unsafe, unsanitary, and damaging to children’s physical and mental wellbeing,” a senior director at the National Center for Youth Law said.
The Biden Administration Is Planning To Restart Controversial Border Flights To Expel Immigrant Families
The resumption of the flights for families comes months after immigrant advocates said the process added to the trauma of the expulsions into Mexico.
A 37-Year-Old Nicaraguan Woman Died In ICE Custody After Testing Positive For COVID-19
The woman died in a Texas hospital after crossing the border last week.
Immigrant Families Separated At The Border Are Finally Being Reunited, But Many Are Struggling Financially
"The public sees these parents and children hugging at the airport on the news and have no idea what comes after that."
A Federal Judge Has Blocked A Texas Law Restricting Who Can Transport Detained Immigrants
US officials said Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order would “significantly impact” their operations and make it more difficult to transport immigrants to other locations.
The Senate Has Confirmed The First Woman Of Arab And Mexican Descent To Direct US Citizenship and Immigration Services
The agency is integral to the immigration system, but hasn’t had a Senate-confirmed leader in more than two years.
32 Children Who Were Deported To Guatemala Last Year In Violation Of A Court Order Have Yet To Be Brought Back
ICE deported the unaccompanied children in November, 10 minutes after a federal judge ordered that they remain in the US.
Photographs Of Asylum-Seekers On Their Journey To Another Life
“We are running away from one place, and we end up coming to an even worse one.”
Detained Immigrant Children Didn't Have Adequate Masks During A COVID Outbreak, Whistleblowers Allege
This is the second whistleblower complaint about conditions for unaccompanied immigrant children at the Fort Bliss shelter in less than a month.
A Senator Is Holding Up Biden's Border Patrol Nominee Over The Deployment Of Federal Officers In Portland
"I am unable to advance this nominee until DHS and DOJ give Oregonians some straight answers about what they were up to in Portland last year."
A Federal Judge Has Blocked New DACA Applicants From Deportation Protections
The order doesn't affect current DACA recipients, but it stops the government from approving any new applications.
These Asylum-Seekers Were Turned Away By Trump After Fleeing Deadly Violence. Now They Have A Second Chance.
“I felt like I was losing my strength."
The Biden Administration Will Limit The Detention And Arrest Of Pregnant Immigrants
The change comes after one report found that ICE had detained more than 4,500 pregnant people between 2016 and 2018.
The Number Of Immigrants Jailed By ICE Has Ballooned Under Biden This Year
“These numbers are going to skyrocket as long as the border activity stays up,” one former ICE director said.
An Immigrant Died In ICE Custody After Staff Didn't Send Him To A Hospital, An Inspector Found
“This highlights the issue with urgent care in ICE detention,” a doctor who teaches at USC told BuzzFeed News.
ICE Force-Fed Immigrants Who Went On Hunger Strikes To Protest Poor Conditions, A New Report Says
"You feel hopeless, like a piece of trash."
Biden Is Expanding A Plan To Bring Back Asylum-Seekers Who Were Forced To Wait In Dangerous Mexican Border Towns
Nearly 28,000 immigrants were ordered deported without being present at their last court hearing under Trump-era restrictions that put them at high risk of violent crime while they waited in Mexico.
The US Can Again Grant Asylum To Domestic Violence Survivors After The Attorney General Tossed Out A Trump Administration Decision
“The vacating of these decisions allows these cases to be treated like any other — fairly and without bias or prejudgment."
Biden Is Expanding A Program To Allow More Young Central Americans To Apply To Get Into The US From Their Home Countries
The program allows parents from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras who are in the US to seek approval for their children to also be allowed in.
Biden's Task Force Identified More Than 3,900 Immigrant Children Who Were Separated From Their Families Under Trump
"Our efforts to reunify every family continue," a senior Department of Homeland Security official said.
US Border Officers Are Collecting DNA From Asylum-Seekers Even Though They Don't Have Criminal Records
"I didn't come to the US to do anything bad. I came here seeking protection."
Biden Has Given Prosecutors More Power To Decide Which Immigration Cases To Drop
Prosecutors can now dismiss cases for immigrants who have been longtime green card holders, are pregnant or elderly, have a serious health condition, or have been in the US from a young age.
Biden Wants Mexico To Do More To Stop Immigrants Trying To Cross The US Border
The White House is continuing to pressure Mexico to do more within its own borders to alleviate pressure at the southern border.
A New Plan By The Biden Administration Will Speed Up Court Cases For Families Crossing The Border
The plan will begin in courts in Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Biden Will Allow Haitian Immigrants In The US To Obtain Temporary Protected Status
The designation of temporary protected status will apply to Haitians — or individuals without nationality who last resided in Haiti — who were in the US as of May 21.
Biden Has Changed Which Immigrants ICE Targets, But He's Still Being Criticized On Both Sides
“If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority,” a senior ICE official told BuzzFeed News.
They Missed Their US Asylum Hearings Fearing The Cartel Would Kill Them. Now They’re Stuck In Mexico.
"It's like seeking refuge in Canada and being sent to wait in Afghanistan where you might be killed."
A Man And His Nephew Are Still Grappling With The Trauma Of Being Separated At The Border Under The Biden Administration
“I feel so empty, and the emptiness keeps growing every day.”
He Bought The Land Where He Crossed Into The US Illegally. Now He’s Offering It Up To Other Immigrants To Do The Same.
“I was undocumented once myself. Who am I to stop them?”
A Mother Who Was Separated From Her Sons At The Border Has Reunited With Them More Than Three Years Later
The Biden administration allowed four families separated at the border by the Trump administration to reunite in the US.
Trump Policies And COVID Have Left Immigrant Couples Trying To Get Marriage-Based Visas In Limbo
“It’s killing me — honestly, it’s killing me. I just want them to decide.”
Biden Is Going To Scrap A Trump-Era Plan To Force Immigrants To Submit Eye Scans, Voice Prints, And DNA
Immigrants who have received some benefit, like a green card or work permit, would have had to submit their biometric data at any point up until becoming a US citizen.
US Officials Have Discussed Asking Mexico To Do More To Stem The Tide Of Immigrants Ahead Of Kamala Harris’s Meeting
Some of the measures discussed included Mexico apprehending an average of 1,000 immigrants moving through the country a day.
