Just have a minute? Here are the top stories you need to know about immigration. This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
Around the U.S.
DOJ dropping immigration case against SpaceX:
The suit, filed in August 2023, accused Elon Musk’s aerospace company of “routinely” discouraging refugees and those granted asylum from applying for jobs. — The Hill
How immigrants are preparing for run-ins with ICE:
Several times a week, men, women and children — most without legal status — gather some 70 miles outside of Los Angeles to prepare for a worst-case-scenario: Getting picked up by ICE. — LAist
How schools are navigating Trump’s immigration policies:
Denver’s school district sued Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and her department, arguing that her new directive gives ICE “unchecked authority” to enforce immigration in schools. — TIME
For fearful immigrants, it’s the card they all want right now:
Distributed by a legal aid group, the “red card” lays out key rights and protections. Demand for them has surged since Trump returned to office. — The New York Times
ICE left York County Prison, but established a new facility six miles away:
ICE’s website describes its new Pennsylvania facility as a “field office and/or check-in office,” but it’s just six miles away from the York County Prison. — York Dispatch
Immigration detention statistics — a retrospective and a look forward:
As of Jan. 12, ICE held 39,703 adults in more than 100 facilities across the United States. This marked the highest level of detention during the four years of Biden’s presidency. — TRAC
Two lawsuits challenge Trump’s decision to end TPS for Venezuelans:
Immigrant rights groups CASA and Make the Road New York announced a federal lawsuit seeking to reverse the president’s termination of TPS for Venezuelans, who could soon face deportation. — NBC News
New York
Haitians in NYC reel as Trump ends their deportation relief:
The change comes as Haiti continues to reel from environmental disasters, gang violence, killings, rapes and kidnappings, all of which have deepened poverty and economic crisis. — The Gothamist
New Yorkers rally for Hochul to remove Adams:
New Yorkers rallied Saturday afternoon from Washington Square Park to City Hall, demanding Gov. Kathy Hochul remove Mayor Eric Adams from office. — ABC7NY
Immigrant hospital workers receive over $640k after wage theft settlement:
United Staffing Solutions underpaid 54 temp workers at NYC hospitals for years, according to the comptroller’s office. A recent settlement will provide back pay, penalties, and interest to the mostly immigrant workers. — Documented
‘I’m collaborating’ — how Adams gave in to Trump’s migrant crackdown:
When he was a state senator and Brooklyn’s borough president, Adams championed legislation from immigrants’ rights groups and held cultural nights to celebrate the city’s numerous diasporas. — The Guardian
A New York county faces federal threats for not complying with ICE:
The Tompkins County sheriff released an undocumented man who’d served his sentence. Now the Trump administration is coming for the sheriff. — BOLTS Mag
Washington D.C.
Trump officials prepare plans to revive Title 42 policy to expel migrants, documents show:
Internal documents obtained by CBS News indicate the CDC is planning to issue an order that would label unauthorized migrants trying to enter the U.S. as public health risks. — CBS News
Top immigration enforcement official reassigned amid frustrations over mass deportation effort:
DHS said Friday that acting ICE director Caleb Vitello was “no longer in an administrative role, but is instead overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting” immigrants. — Spectrum News NY 1
U.S. Senate passes budget resolution to fund Trump’s deportation plan:
A 10-hour “vote-a-rama” ended early Friday with a 52-48 party-line vote approving $175 billion for border security, including for border wall construction. — The Guardian
Judge clears Trump administration to put over 2,000 USAid workers on leave:
U.S. district judge Carl Nichols wrote that he was satisfied by the administration’s assurances that USAid personnel abroad who were placed on leave would still be protected by U.S. security. — The Guardian
Trump plans to use military sites across the country to detain undocumented immigrants:
Fort Bliss would serve as a model as the administration aims to develop more detention facilities on military sites across the country — from Utah to the area near Niagara Falls. — The New York Times
GOP aims to cut essential programs to supercharge deportations:
Congress is reportedly seeking at least $4 billion in total cuts to pay for its immigration detention and enforcement bonanza. — Immigration Impact
The White House exaggerated how sharply undocumented immigration has dropped. Here’s what you should know:
The White House used two different data points to inflate the drop in undocumented immigration under Trump. Plus, it’s unclear how long any drop will last. — PolitiFact
Trump deporting people at a slower rate than Biden’s last year in office:
Initial figures suggest Trump could struggle to match deportation rates during the last full year of the Biden administration, when large numbers of migrants were caught crossing without authorization, making them easier to deport. — Reuters
One month in, mixed results in Trump’s immigration crackdown:
The Trump administration said it was sending only the worst criminals to Guantanamo Bay, but it has since admitted that wasn’t true. — NPR
Vance poses immigration as ‘greatest threat’ to U.S. and Europe in CPAC speech:
“The greatest threat in Europe, and I’d say the greatest threat in the U.S. until about 30 days ago, is that you’ve had the leaders of the west decide that they should send millions and millions of unvetted foreign migrants into their countries,” Vance told the crowd. — The Guardian
