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.
US Border Patrol chief is stepping down in latest DHS shakeup:
Michael Banks’ resignation comes ahead of a leadership turnover at ICE, with Acting Director Todd Lyons set to leave at the end of May. —AP
DHS watchdog probes former agency chief Kristi Noem’s warehouse purchases:
Eleven properties were bought up across several months last year under Noem’s $38 billion plan to convert warehouses into ICE detention facilities. —Wall Street Journal [Paywall], NOTUS
Former private prison official hired as new ICE acting director:
David Venturella worked for Geo Group for over a decade, most recently in a department overseeing contracts between ICE and detention facilities. —New York Times [Paywall], NPR
Trump admin. waives $15,000 visa bond for some World Cup fans:
Nationals from five countries participating in the World Cup — Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia — are now exempt from the bond, though fans from dozens of other countries will still be required to pay. —ESPN
New York
NYC immigrant advocates sue Trump admin., seeking answers on bond denial policies:
New York Legal Assistance Group alleges that the Justice Department ignored its Freedom of Information Act request on the policies the DOJ is handing down to immigration judges on when to grant and deny bond. —amNY, 📄Complaint
Queens U.S. Rep. introduces bill to permit virtual ICE check-ins:
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) proposed the Safe Check-Ins for Immigrants Act following an uptick in arrests at immigration offices and courthouses. —Queens Eagle, meng.house.gov
Letter from 300 detainees in Delaney Hall calls for humane conditions, due process:
The second such letter penned from inside the Newark detention center highlights that the conditions are “life-threatening” for some detainees, and closes with an “S.O.S.” —NJ.com, 📄Letter
Around the U.S.
Individuals detained in Chicago immigration raid demand millions in damages:
Seventeen claimants say that a military-style DHS raid carried out in their apartment complex last year caused physical harm, emotional trauma and financial loss. —ProPublica
Georgia barber and double amputee released from ICE custody after 15 months:
Rodney Taylor, 47, came to the U.S. from Liberia when he was two years old. He has reported horrific conditions, medical neglect and being denied food while inside the Stewart Detention Center. —GPB, Capital B News
Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ to close as soon as June, sources say:
About 1,400 detainees will be transferred out of the controversial detention center as operating costs have nearly hit $1 billion. —CBS News
