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An internal memo from August revealed some officials within the Department of Homeland Security’s civil rights office alerted immigration and border agents that returning Haitian arrivals to Haiti could lead to major human rights violations. The civil rights office had informed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officials, citing a travel advisory from the Department of State, that Haiti posed great dangers to deportees. Despite this, the Biden administration decided in September to resume mass deportations. Advocates estimate over 9,000 people have been deported to Haiti. Buzzfeed News
In other federal immigration news…
English education providers report low enrollment compared to pre-pandemic levels
Some English education programs for immigrants in Atlanta have seen a rebound from the drop in enrollment since 2020, but others say they’re seeing low enrollment compared to pre-pandemic levels. The program at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services reported the number of people enrolled has increased, but it is still 35% below pre-pandemic levels. For the English as a Second Language program at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, administrators noted that their enrollment numbers are only about half what they were in 2019 — when there were 1,100 students. Atlanta Journal Constitution
Haitian asylum seekers lament torturous conditions in New Mexico
A new report reveals that despite being transferred from the Del Rio,Texas, immigration jail to Torrance, New Mexico, dozens of Haitian asylum seekers are still facing harrowing living conditions under ICE supervision. Detainees are being served uncooked and inedible food, contaminated water, and given little or no medical care, they said in a survey. Other asylum seekers report experiencing anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The survey was conducted by Allegra Love, a pro-bono immigration attorney providing representation to 43 of about 80 Haitian asylum seekers at the immigration jail. The New Republic
Judge seals an end to ICE detention in Illinois
Earlier this week, a federal judge sustained provisions in a new Illinois law that prohibits cities and counties from leasing out beds in prisons to detain immigrants under Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. As a result of the ruling, McHenry and Kankakee counties, which previously sued to block the Illinois Way Forward Act, will need to end the remunerative contracts they have with ICE by January’s end. Judge Philip G. Reinhard of the Northern District of Illinois, who sealed the decision, said the Illinois Way Forward Act was a proper use of the state’s constitutional power to ban counties from partaking in federal regulations like immigration detention. Injustice Watch
Maryland jails to stop accommodating federal immigration detainees
Jails in Maryland will no longer house federal immigration detainees, and federal immigration agents will now have limited access to state databases, lawmakers have ruled. The verdict is a win for immigrant advocates who have voiced concerns over legal and undocumented immigrants being arrested or jailed for minor reasons. Another key concern advocates have had was the unrestricted access U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have to state driver’s license records and photos. Baltimore Sun