Immigration News Today: DHS Arrests New York Elected Officials

Documented

Sep 19, 2025

Dozens of New Yorkers, including faith leaders, doctors and nearly 20 elected officials, protested outside 26 Federal Plaza Sept. 18, 2025. Photo: Taurat Hossain for Documented.

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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.

New York

‘Deserve to die’: Texas man indicted over series of violent threats to Zohran Mamdani:

The man allegedly made phone and written threats to the New York City mayoral candidate, warning the democratic socialist should “go back to Uganda” before someone shoots him in the head. –NBC News

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Immigration judge orders Mahmoud Khalil to be deported to Algeria or Syria:

“It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech,” Khalil, a former Columbia University grad student, said in a statement. –CBS News

Judge steps up pressure on ICE to fix conditions in N.Y.C. holding cells:

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said he was intervening to protect migrants from being detained in potentially “unconstitutional and inhumane” circumstances at 26 Federal Plaza. –The New York Times

Lyft campaign against proposed NYC driver protections sparks accusations of misinformation: A bill moving forward in the New York City Council that would limit how e-hail apps can boot drivers from their platforms has sparked a misinformation campaign by Lyft, local lawmakers and activists said. –Gothamist

Around the U.S.

Family of Mexican father fatally shot by ICE near Chicago ‘wants justice to be done’:

With law enforcement releasing little information about the death of Silverio Villegas González, one advocate said that they “have to stitch this together ourselves.” –NBC News; Related: ICE officers involved weren’t wearing body cameras

‘The dungeon’ at Louisiana’s notorious prison reopens as ICE detention center: 

Critics condemn reopening of ‘Camp J’ unit at Angola in service of Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown, noting its history of brutality and violence. –The Guardian 

A law enforcement surge has taken a toll on children of immigrants in D.C. schools: 

Schools in Washington reopened late last month against the backdrop of a law enforcement surge that brought masked immigration agents into normally quiet neighborhoods. –The Associated Press

73-year-old Bay Area woman is detained by ICE after more than a decade of check-ins:

Immigration officials detained a grandmother and seamstress who has lived in the U.S. for more than 30 years at a routine check-in, sparking protests from community members. –NBC News

Woman wrongfully detained in immigration raid describes what she endured:

A U.S. citizen who says she was wrongfully arrested over the summer in downtown L.A. during an ICE raid spent two nights in jail and faced a felony charge.  –PBS News Hour

Washington D.C.

​ICE seeks hundreds of new offices across U.S. as agency expands: 

Officials are looking for new sites to support plans to hire thousands of new deportation officers and lawyers. –The Washington Post; NPR

Judge: Trump lawyer made false claims in court to hastily deport Guatemalan kids

A Trump-appointed federal judge found Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign made false claims to justify a “hasty operation” to deport Guatemalan children. –The Washington Post; CBS News

Without insurance, immigrant patients may face unregulated ‘medical deportation’:

 U.S. hospitals sometimes return uninsured noncitizen patients in need of long-term care to their countries of origin, a practice that exists in ethical and legal gray areas without specific federal regulations or much public knowledge. –The Associated Press

US deportees sue Ghana over ‘illegal’ detention: 

Eleven people deported from the U.S. to the country have sued its government, arguing that their detention in a military camp there was illegal because they had not violated any Ghanaian law. –BBC 

‘It hurts all of us’: Mass deportations ensnare immigrant service members, veterans and families: 

Not exempting military members, veterans and their families from deportation “harms military recruiting, military readiness and the national security of our country,” one lawyer said. –The Associated Press

Recent DACA arrests raise alarm among legal advocates: 

An “Enforcement Tracker” organized by a coalition of immigrant rights advocacy organizations counts at least 18 cases where DACA recipients have been or are at risk of being deported since Trump took office. –ABC News

Millions of immigrants could soon have to reveal their social media on these U.S. forms: 

The government has proposed requiring immigration applicants — including those seeking permanent residence, naturalization, asylum, or refugee status — to disclose their social media identifiers on official immigration forms. –The Miami Herald

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