Oberlin Community Supporting Immigrants (OCSI) does not endorse or oppose candidates for elected office. We aim to provide information, education, and analysis regarding the U.S. immigration system.
Know Your Rights: You can’t protect your rights unless you know what they are. Here’s a 2-page handout prepared by OCSI.
OCSI Corner
Do you need a speaker on immigration of “know your rights” for your local church, synagogue, or community group? Contact us at the email below. We can help!
PICK THREE (No time for all the reporting? Here are three important stories from the past week that you might have overlooked):
Always Watching: How ICE’s Plan to Monitor Social Media 24/7 Threatens Privacy and Civic Participation (The Conversation, November 7, 2025): U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has published a request for information for private-sector contractors to launch a round-the-clock social media monitoring program.
An Altercation with ICE Prompts a Police Chief to Push Back (New York Times, November 3, 2025): At the Durango, Colo., police chief’s request, Colorado law enforcement will investigate whether a federal agent broke the law when he appeared to put a protester in a chokehold. (And see video here.)
An Immigration Success Story in the Heartland (Times-Republican, November 3, 2025): As ICE raids terrorize communities large and small, Americans should take a lesson from Marshalltown: We’re stronger when everyone participates, contributes.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Assault with a deli weapon: DC “Sandwich Guy” found not guilty of assaulting an ICE agent. (Story here)
LOCAL AND OHIO NEWS
The DOJ Has Been Firing Judges with Immigrant Defense Backgrounds (NPR, November 6, 2025): Highlighting the case of Tania Nemer, a Cleveland immigration court judge.
Oberlin ACLU Chapter Urges Against Ice Cooperation (The Oberlin Review, October 31, 2025): Students are circulating a petition urging Oberlin’s administration to publicly reject involving university resources in federal immigration enforcement through a 287(g) agreement.
EMERGING POLICY AND THREATS TO IMMIGRANTS
Detention and Deportation
Arrest by Federal Immigration Agents at Chicago Day Care Sparks Outrage (ABC News, November 6, 2025): Rep. Delia Ramirez, D.-Ill, responded: “This is the force called Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem, an agency of terror,” she said. “What happened today is despicable, it’s unconscionable, it’s unacceptable.”
Nebraska Converts Prison into Federal Immigration Center, Aims to Fill It by Thanksgiving (PBS, November 6, 2025): The prison in the southwest corner of Nebraska has been reconfigured to serve as a federal immigration detention center.
Armed US Immigration Agents Drive Off with Toddler after Arrest of Father (Guardian, November 5, 2025): ‘Devastated’ family demands answers after two-year-old driven by armed agents from LA Home Depot parking lot.
‘Very Painful,’ Former Miss Hawaii Fights to Stop Her Husband from Being Deported (Hawaii News Now, November 5, 2025): A native of Brazil, her husband has been trying to secure citizenship for about 17 years, but clerical errors delayed them.
New Data Shows 1 in 4 ICE Arrests Happened in Texas under Trump’s Immigration Crackdown (Texas Tribune, November 3, 2025): ICE agents are arresting more immigrants on the streets and at routine check-ins than under President Biden. But most of them don’t have criminal convictions despite pledges to pursue “the worst of the worst.”
Trump’s Immigration Raids Continue Through Halloween in Chicago and Los Angeles (Guardian, November 1, 2025): In Chicago suburb, protesters confront ICE agents, whom Evanston mayor says ‘assaulted’ residents.
Bard College Student Detained by ICE Sparks Calls for Release (News12Westchester, October 30, 2025): Ali Faqirzada is a computer science major at the college; he fled Afghanistan to escape the Taliban and was granted status as an asylum seeker.
U.S. Immigrant Detention Grows to Record Heights under Trump Administration (Muzaffar Chishti and Valerie Lacarte, Migration Policy Institute, October 29, 2025): The number of unauthorized immigrants and other noncitizens placed into immigration detention has grown to the highest level in history in the first ten months of President Donald Trump’s second term. It could nearly double in months to come.
Profiles in Authoritarianism, Racism, and Cruelty
Indian IDOT Employee Questions about Immigration Status, if He Was ‘Aware’ of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (Chicago Sun Times, November 8, 2025): Gov. JB Pritzker is speaking out about the incident, which happened Friday morning, calling it another example of President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “continuing to question U.S. citizens apparently based on the color of their skin.”
‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison (New York Times, November 8, 2025): They said they were shackled, beaten, shot with rubber bullets and tear gassed until they passed out.
Border Patrol Chief Reprimanded for Lying Claims Shots were Fired at Immigration Officers in Chicago (Guardian, November 8, 2025). This comes only two days after this: Border Patrol Commander Admitted He Lied About Tear Gas Incident (ABC News, November 7, 2025): Judge says, as she restricts use of force during immigration protests in Chicago.
FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves (Dell Cameron and Caroline Haskins, Wired, November 4, 2025): In a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, the FBI said criminal impersonators are exploiting ICE’s image and urged nationwide coordination to distinguish real operations from fakes.
ICE and Border Patrol’s Use of Tear Gas Injures, Sickens, and Tests the Law (Washington Post, November 1, 2025): Federal immigration agents say chemical agents are needed to disperse violent protesters. But videos also show them firing at people in aggressive and questionable ways.
Trump’s Deportation Campaign Raises FAFSA Privacy Concerns, Advocates Say (Inside Higher Ed, October 31, 2025): In guidance to mixed-status families, the National College Attainment Network addressed fears that FAFSA information could be shared with immigration officials.
THE COURTS
Federal Judge Permanently Blocks Trump from Deploying National Guard to Portland (Oregon Public Broadcasting, November 7, 2025): In her ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut found President Trump “did not have a lawful basis to federalize the National Guard.”
Judge Criticizes Immigration Agents in Chicago: ‘Use of Force Shocks the Conscience’ (New York Times, November 6, 2025): Judge Sara L. Ellis said she saw “little reason for the use of force that the federal agents are currently using,” and said Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official, had lied about his use of tear gas in Chicago.
Federal Judge Issues Temporary Restraining Order Governing Conditions at Broadview ICE Facility [Chicago] (WBEZ-Chicago, November 5,2025): A U.S. District Judge is requiring officials at the de facto detention center run by ICE to provide detainees with sufficient hygiene and access to lawyers and a phone, among other requirements.
California Supreme Court Rules that UC Can Hire Undocumented Students (Inside Higher Ed, November 5, 2025): A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeal for the First District had ruled in August that the UC system’s employment policy “facially discriminates based on immigration status and, in light of applicable state law, the discriminatory policy cannot be justified.”
More than 100 Judges Have Ruled Against the Trump Admin’s Mandatory Detention Policy (Politico, October 31, 2025): A POLITICO review of the rulings shows judges appointed by every president since Ronald Reagan have rebuked the administration’s new interpretation of immigration law.
PUSHING BACK
14 Suburban Moms Arrested in Sit-in Protest Outside Broadview ICE Facility (Chicago Sun Times, November 7, 2025): The mothers sat in a circle on Beach Street Friday to “demand an end” to Chicago-area federal immigration raids.
Oak Park Officials Take Steps to ‘Protect Our Immigrant Neighbors’ Amid Federal Enforcement Blitz (Chicago Tribune, November 6, 2025): An ordinance unanimously approved by the Oak Park Village Board on Nov. 4 prohibits anyone from using village owned or controlled property for federal immigration enforcement activities, including as a staging area, processing location or operations base.
Bishops with Ties to Trump Commission Criticize Treatment of Immigrants (New York Times, November 6, 2025): The Roman Catholic prelates cited detainees’ lack of access to religious sacraments like communion.
18-Year-Old New Yorker with Special Immigration Status Freed from Louisiana ICE Facility after ICE Defies Court Order (National Immigration Project, November 5, 2025): ICE officials had refused to release Guerra Leon when his attorneys arrived at the detention facility forcing his legal team to file an emergency motion.
How Oregonians Are Creating Networks to Shield Their Immigrant Neighbors from ICE (The Oregonian, November 5, 2025): Local networks respond.
Pope Calls for ‘Deep Reflection’ in US about Migrants’ Treatment under Trump (Reuters, November 4, 2025): “Many people who’ve lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what’s going on right now.”
Faith Leaders Again Denied Entry to Broadview ICE Facility, Hold Mass Outside Anyway (Block Club Chicago, November 2, 2025): Immigration authorities again denied faith leaders entry to the Broadview processing center Saturday and police used pepper balls to clear the street during an afternoon costume party and protest.
A Priest Is Walking from Illinois to New York for Immigrants’ Rights (Washington Post, November 2, 2025): The Rev. Gary Graf, 67, sees his 800-mile journey to Ellis Island as a modern-day pilgrimage. He hopes to finish the trip this month.
Lesser Known Undaunted Heroes (Jennifer Rubin, The Contrarian, October 31, 2025): Ordinary Americans defend neighbors against MAGA brutality and lawlessness.
IMMIGRANTS AND THE ECONOMY
ICE Is Sending a Chill Through the Construction Industry (NPR, November 6, 2025): As ICE agents detain and deport undocumented immigrants, their enforcement actions are deepening the already severe labor shortage, slowing the pace of construction and driving up costs, industry officials and contractors say.
Private Prison Operator CoreCivic Saw 55% Increase in Immigration Detainee Contracts (Tennessee Lookout, November 6, 2025): Brentwood-based company has signed over half a billion dollars worth of new contracts with the federal government since President Donald Trump took office
Trump’s Deportations Are Causing Farm Labor Issues. He Hasn’t Presented a Viable, Long-Term Solution (Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest, October 29, 2025): Trump has cast the H-2A program as a quick help for farmers. At the same time, the program has been suspended during the government shutdown, which could cause production problems.
ATTACKS ON AUTHORIZED IMMIGRATION, US CITIZENS
US to Deny Visas to People with Diabetes, Heart Disease and other Chronic Illnesses (The Times of India, November 8, 2025): Foreign nationals seeking to immigrate to the United States.
Trump Administration Has Revoked 80,000 Non-Immigrant Visas, US Official Says (Reuters, November 5, 2025): Visas revoked for offenses ranging from driving under the influence to theft.
Federal Agents Crash into Woman’s Car, Drag Her Out by Her Legs (The New Republic, November 3, 2025): Dayanne Figueroa, a U.S. citizen, was held for hours before being released without charge.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
U.S. Government Eliminates Legal Protections for Honduran Women (Laura Blume and Anna Storm, NACLA, November 6, 2025): A series of recent legal decisions on gender-based violence further reveals the Trump administration’s depravity—and sentences vulnerable asylum-seeking women to their death.
It’s Time to Pull the Fire Alarm (Miriam Feldblum, Inside Higher Ed, November 6, 2025): Higher ed must take decisive action to counter the Trump administration’s harmful immigration policies.
Voting Rights and Immigration Under Attack (Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, November 2, 2025): The President’s goals were clear on the first day of his term, when he issued an executive order overruling the Fourteenth Amendment’s birthright-citizenship clause.
ACTION ITEMS
Activists from the Tanggol Migrante Movement, a Filipino-led alliance, will be hosting three events in Oberlin on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 11 and 12. The events aim to broaden the understanding of who is being affected by the current ICE escalations and give the Oberlin community tangible steps forward to help and protect our migrant communities. The first is a “Community Meal and Coalition Building” (dinner provided) at Shansi House (58 E. College Street, Oberlin) on November 11 at 6:00; this will be followed by a talk on November 12 (12:30 PM) in Hallock Auditorium (122 Elm Street, Oberlin) on “What is the Tanggol Migrante Movement?” and at 7:00 PM that evening at the Oberlin Public Library (65 South Main St, Oberlin), a talk on “How can we better support migrants? Lessons from the Tanggol Migrante Movement.” Please see attached flyers.
ICE believes it’s above the law: Join the National Immigration Law Center in signing a petition demanding Congress to hold the agency accountable.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT Oberlin Community Supporting Immigrants (OCSI): https://oberlincommunitysi.org/
IF YOU KNOW OF OTHERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE THIS WEEKLY BULLETIN: Send an email to: [email protected]