Immigration News Today: DOJ Using Dilley Detention Center for Immigration Hearings

Julia Malleck

Nov 13, 2026

EOIR, Immigration Court, El Paso, Texas

Share Button WhatsApp Share Button X Share Button Facebook Share Button Linkedin Share Button Nextdoor

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.

ACROSS THE U.S.

  • The Justice Department is now using Texas’ Dilley detention center for immigration hearings, raising concerns among advocates that individuals who are not in detention will be afraid to attend proceedings for fear of being detained. (ABC News)
  • DHS has published a draft environmental assessment for a proposed ICE detention center in Surprise, Arizona, finding “no significant adverse direct, indirect, or cumulative impacts to land use are anticipated.” Local advocates are concerned about its potential strain on water supply. (Arizona’s Family, ABC 15, 📄Report) 
  • There have been at least 64 cases of abuse and neglect in ICE detention facilities across Arizona, according to a new report from the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. (CALÓ News)
  • David Brouillette, the ICE agent who shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine earlier this year, had a history of expressing hatred towards immigrants, according to uncovered emails. ([Paywall] New York Times) 

IN COURT

Immigration News, Curated
Sign up to get our curation of news, insights on big stories, job announcements, and events happening in immigration.
  • A federal court ruled that federal agents can continue using tear gas on protesters outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon. (KATU)

FROM THE FEDS

  • Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who is likely to be Democrats’ main Republican interlocutor on immigration reform next year, said he is awaiting instructions from the president on next steps for immigration policy. (The Hill)  
  • Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) said in a speech on Veteran’s Day that she plans to reintroduce the bipartisan Dignity Act alongside Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) to push forward immigration reform in 2027. (📹Video,📄Transcript)
  • Democrats on Capitol Hill have already started formulating targets for oversight of the federal government’s immigration crackdown and are initiating talks with Trump officials about shifting immigration priorities. (The Guardian, Reuters)

LOCAL

  • City Council member Harvey Epstein is set to introduce a bill that will require food delivery companies operating in NYC to foot the bill for workers’ rest areas, including e-bike charging stations, storage and bathrooms. (Gothamist)
  • A new documentary, called “Water Cooler,” premieres today at DOC NYC and gives an inside look at the 12th floor of 26 Federal Plaza between November 2025 and January 2026. (Hell Gate)

Julia Malleck

Julia Malleck is a journalist based in NYC. She writes Documented's flagship newsletter, Early Arrival, which tracks national and local developments in immigration policy. (And my handle on X/Twitter is @txt_julia)

Help power journalism made with and for immigrants

Documented is the only New York City newsroom centering the voices of immigrant communities. Each week, we bring immigrants critical multilingual reporting on local and national news impacting their lives.

Our community doesn’t just shape our reporting – it sustains it.

If you appreciated this article and want to help our nonprofit newsroom uplift immigrants’ stories, will you support our work and donate today? Donations made before the end of 2026 will be matched and have triple the imapct. 

With appreciation,
The Documented Team

Donate to Documented

SEE MORE STORIES

Early Arrival Newsletter

Receive a roundup of immigration and policy news from New York, Washington, and nationwide in your inbox 3x per week.