Enforcement

The enforcement of immigration laws is a complex and hotly-debated topic. Learn more about the costs of immigration enforcement and the ways in which the U.S. can enforce our immigration laws humanely and in a manner that ensures due process.

Immigration Detention and Enforcement Are a Mixed Bag in Biden’s First Year

Immigration detention and enforcement in the United States under the first year of the Biden administration has been a mixture of improvements and setbacks. The Trump administration implemented nearly 400 changes to interior enforcement with the goal of subjecting all undocumented immigrants to enforcement actions, and President Biden assumed office having made significant commitments to […]

Collaboration Between the FBI and CBP Led to Increased Surveillance of Arab and Muslim Immigrants

By Katy Murdza and Rebekah Wolf, American Immigration Council staff Collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has led to increased surveillance of Arab and Muslim immigrants, particularly at our borders. This is not necessarily tied to whether someone is considered a potential national security threat—but whether […]

Biden’s Border Ambitions Fall Short in a Year of Setbacks and Continued Focus on Deterrence

President Biden took office committing to unwind Trump’s border policies and go in a new direction—to reunite families, restore access to asylum, and reverse “policies enacted over the last 4 years that contravened our values and caused needless human suffering.” Despite a strong start in early 2021, the border is in many ways not any […]

CBP One: An Overview

CBP One is a mobile app developed to streamline interaction between travelers and CBP officers at ports of entry using technology which includes GPS tracking and facial recognition. However, it is unclear how this app and the data it collects will be used.

Biden Reinstates the ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program: What You Need to Know

Following months of negotiations with Mexico, the Biden administration announced that it would reinstate the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (informally known as the “Remain in Mexico” program) on Monday, after a Texas court in August ordered it to reinstate the program. Although the new version of MPP will make some positive changes, the Biden administration […]

CBP’s Plan to Expand Data Collection of Individuals Before Arrival at the Border Leaves Questions Unanswered

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) plan to collect information from more individuals before they arrive at the border has raised questions about how the agency will gather and use the information as well as privacy concerns. CBP’s proposal would broaden the category of individuals who may submit biographic and biometric information before appearing at […]

Apprehensions at the Border Dropped 15% This Fall, Highlighting Mexico’s Role in Stopping Migrants

Data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows that the number of individuals apprehended by the Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico border fell by 15% from September to October, with the agency reporting nearly 27,000 fewer apprehensions than the previous month. October marks the third straight month of falling apprehensions, following a peak […]