Arbitrary Detention
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The New York Times: Immigrants From Around the Country Keep Getting Detained in Louisiana. It’s No Coincidence.
Tags Share For years, Louisiana has been a hotspot for immigrant detention, second only to Texas. Referencing recent high-profile cases of detained students, this New York Times article explores the factors behind Louisiana’s growing prominence in the United States’ immigration incarceration regime. The article also describes inhumane conditions, abuse, and neglect across the Louisiana ICE…
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Reuters: US Lawyer for Venezuelans Held in El Salvador Says Government Denied Her Access To Clients
Tags Share During a press conference in El Salvador, human rights advocate Kerry Kennedy condemned the Salvadoran government for denying legal access to clients, including over 250 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison under a controversial agreement. Reuters has reported Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, criticized President Nayib Bukele’s administration for…
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The Boston Globe: ICE is holding a Tufts PhD student at a Louisiana facility. Here’s what it’s like inside.
Tags Share The Boston Globe has reported that court filings, media coverage, and firsthand accounts reveal grim conditions inside the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center—known as Basile—where Tufts PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk is detained after expressing pro-Palestinian views. Öztürk’s case has drawn national attention and echoes widespread reports of inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions, and…
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Associated Press: Civil rights groups sue to restore jobs at Homeland Security oversight offices that were gutted
Tags Share Three advocacy groups are suing the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem, seeking to restore staff jobs at three gutted offices that oversee civil rights protections across the department’s broad mission. The lawsuit was filed Thursday by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization, the Southern Border Communities Coalition, and the Urban Justice Center. On March…
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The AP: As Immigrant Arrests Surge, Complaints of Abuse Mount At America’s Oldest Detention Center In Miami
Tags Share The United States’ oldest immigration detention facility has a long history of abuse – a history that shows no signs of abating amid the Trump administration’s increased efforts to detain and deport immigrants. The Associated Press reports on inhumane conditions and overcrowding at Krome Detention Center in Miami, highlighting the lack of accountability for…
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RFK Human Rights v. Department of Homeland Security: Ensuring oversight of immigration enforcement
This case challenges the executive branch’s sudden closure of three oversight offices within the Department of Homeland Security that Congress mandated be created, funded, and staffed in order to safeguard human rights and protect the public from government wrongdoing.
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New York Times: Lawsuit Aims to Reverse Firings at Internal Oversight Offices Within D.H.S.
Tags Share An assortment of advocacy groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday aimed at stopping the Department of Homeland Security from permanently shuttering its internal oversight divisions after the Trump administration fired critical staff members, grinding operations to a halt. The lawsuit was filed in New York and brought by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights,…
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New York Times: Private Prisons for Immigrants
Tags Share “The Trump administration has justified cuts to public health, education and international aid programs in the name of ‘government efficiency.’ At the same time, it is passing billions of taxpayer dollars to private prison executives to expand an immigration incarceration system that is notorious for abuse, mismanagement and waste.” Responding to the Trump…
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Washington Post: Khalil ruling tests Trump deportation tactic of sending detainees to Louisiana
Tags Share Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was deemed eligible for deportation just three days after his first court hearing, prompting due process concerns from his attorneys. The Trump administration alleges Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, poses a national security threat due to his role in pro-Palestinian protests. Advocates say the case reflects a broader strategy…
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WBUR: Poor conditions at Louisiana ICE detention center holding Tufts student, advocates say
Tags Share WBUR has reported, former detainees have described punitive and unsanitary conditions at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, where a Turkish Tufts University student, Öztürk, is being held. In an August 2024 report, Anthony Enriquez—vice president of U.S. advocacy and litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights—warned that Öztürk faces the…
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The Guardian: Was the Supreme Court’s deportation ruling a win for Trump or immigrants?
Tags Share The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can use the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport certain Venezuelan immigrants—but emphasized that due process must be upheld. Trump called it a win, though critics dubbed it a pyrrhic victory. Immigration advocates, including the ACLU, claimed success, noting the court affirmed individuals’ right…
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