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.
Washington D.C.
Few employers have paid $100,000 H-1B fee since September hike:
Only about 70 employers nationwide have paid the fee, according to a government attorney. —Bloomberg Law
DOJ charges 30 more people who participated in an anti-ICE protest in a Minnesota church, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon:
“YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP,” AG Pam Bondi posted on X when announcing the unsealed indictment. —BBC, 💬@AGPamBondi
Refugees sue Trump admin. to block memos permitting their arrest, detention after one year in U.S.:
Plaintiffs represented by Democracy Forward and the International Refugee Assistance Project allege that two new DHS policies flout “fundamental constitutional principles.” —Democracy Forward
Around the U.S.
Some Iranian immigrants, diaspora hope for regime change after US-Israel strikes kill Ayatollah Khomeini:
The strikes on Saturday, which also killed dozens of elementary school children, have opened a power vacuum in the country’s authoritarian regime and sparked polarized reactions. —POLITICO, 5newsonline, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post
Judge orders release of dozens of people detained in Chicago over violation of consent decree:
Thirty-two people arrested during ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ will be freed, though 21 of the individuals have already been deported or released. —Chicago Sun-Times
Federal judge extends order protecting Minnesota refugees from arrest, deportation:
The move follows a Feb. 18 memo from the Trump administration stating that refugees could be arrested 366 days after arriving in the U.S. if they had not obtained a green card. —AP
At least four Democrat-led states introduce bills to bar ICE employees from joining civil service:
California, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington are among the states who are limiting recruitment of agents hired under the Trump administration. —The Guardian
Denver mayor orders police to protect protesters from ICE:
Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order that also directs officers to investigate ICE when it engages in potential criminal conduct. —Colorado Sun, ABC7
Spiritual care hard to find for immigrants in detention:
Religious groups have filed lawsuits alleging that those in detention are being denied religious freedom and the right to worship. —New York Times
New York
ICE’s alleged tactic to enter Columbia University may have been illegal, advocates and legal experts say:
Columbia President Claire Shipman said the agents “misrepresented themselves” as searching for a missing child in order to arrest Ellie Aghayeva. —Gothamist, president.columbia.edu
Local officials, immigrant advocates protest Roxbury, NJ detention center:
More than 800 people demonstrated outside the city’s town hall on Saturday to oppose the opening of a proposed 470,000-square-foot facility. —News12
Immigration agents may be impersonating housing inspectors, city officials say in PSA:
Tenants in Crown Heights reported self-identified Housing Preservation and Development code inspectors were buzzing into residential buildings, finding it suspicious. —THE CITY, 💬@nychousing
