PICK THREE (No time for all the reporting? Here are three important stories from the past week that you might have overlooked):
A Year of Hell for Immigrants (Isabela Dias, Mother Jones, December 10, 2025): In the first Trump administration, cruelty was the point. Now, it is the norm.
For-Profit School Opening in For-Profit ICE Family Prison (Whitney Curry Wimbish, The American Prospect, December 10, 2025): Stride, Inc, a for-profit virtual education company accused of defrauding investors and other harms is set to run a new school at an immigration prison in Texas, according to job advertisements.
They’ve Banned Voter Registration at Citizenship Ceremonies (Austin Weatherford, Bright America, December 9, 2025): In August, the Trump administration quietly banned nonpartisan groups from helping new citizens register to vote at naturalization ceremonies. Groups like the staunchly non-partisan League of Women Voters — who’ve done this work since 1920 — are now locked out of federal buildings where these ceremonies happen.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
The nativity scene with an absent baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and an “ICE was here” sign remains on display at St. Susanna Church in Dedham (Photo: Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff): Story here.
LOCAL AND OHIO NEWS
Four anti-immigrant bills are currently before the Republican-gerrymandered Ohio legislature: SB 172 (requires state and local public offices/officials to allow the arrest or detention of anyone who is — or is suspected of being — unlawfully present in the U.S.); HB 42 (requires certain agencies, including school districts, to report on the immigration status of individuals they come into contact with); HB 200 (requires law enforcement and local governments to cooperate with federal immigration policies and punish those who refuse); and HB 26 (requires compliance with federal immigration actions). For full information on each, as provided by Springfield Neighbors United, click here.
Some Ohio Colleges Saw Steep International Enrollment Drops. It Could Get Worse (Columbus Dispatch, December 11, 2025): Fewer international students enrolled at Ohio’s public university campuses this fall, with some schools seeing double-digit enrollment drops, according to institutional data.
‘Everyone Deserves Dignity and Safety in Springfield’: Anxious Residents Crowd Town Hall Over Fears of Immigration Raids (Springfield News-Sun, December 8, 2025): Fears of sweeping immigration raids were evident in Springfield Thursday, with more than 100 residents attending a town hall meeting aimed at preparing for potential “mass deportations.”
RESISTING, PROTESTING, AND ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE
‘There’s Power in Numbers’: New Yorkers Are Banding Together to Protect Street Vendors from ICE (Guardian, December 12, 2025): With ICE targeting vendors and fear rising, community groups are organising fast to keep New Yorkers working on the streets safe.
They’re the Heat on ICE: Stopping Federal Agents on Canal Street [NYC] Was just the Start (Sanya Mansoor, New York Magazine, December 11, 2025): Inside a resistance movement.
Migrants Facing Mandatory Detention in U.S. Are Fighting Back, and Winning (Washington Post, December 10, 2025):
Immigration Activists Mobilize as ICE Presence Grows in Syracuse (Daily Orange, December 10, 2025): The Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network (SIRDN) sponsors community learning sessions and routinely posts alerts of ICE activity on its social media pages.
Illinois Governor Signs Bill Imposing New Limits on Immigration Enforcement (New York Times, December 9, 2025): The measure restricts immigration arrests around state courthouses. Republicans have criticized the law and suggested it would face legal challenges.
ICEBlock Was Purged from the App Store. Now Its Creator Is Suing the Trump Administration (Slate, December 8, 2025): It became a lightning rod for the right—and a target for what its developer says was an attack on free speech.
Zohran Mamdani Tells Immigrant New Yorkers about Their Right Not To Comply with ICE (AP, December 7, 2025): He explained that people in the U.S. can chose not to speak to federal immigration agents, film them without interfering and refuse their requests to enter private spaces.
ICE Acting Director, Boston Archdiocese Demand ‘ICE Was Here’ Nativity Be Removed from Massachusetts Church (FoxNews, December 6, 2025): Todd Lyons says display adds to dangerous narrative as archdiocese calls for removal.
THE COURTS
What to Know about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Release from Immigration Custody (ABC News, December 13, 2025): Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation helped galvanize opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, has been released from immigration detention, and a judge has temporarily blocked any further efforts to detain him.
Judge Blocks Trump’s National Guard Deployment in LA with Sharp Rebuke (NPR, December 10, 2025): The Trump Administration must end its deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, according to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco.
Judge Boasberg Escalates Contempt Inquiry Over Alien Enemies Act Deportations (Politico, December 8, 2025): The judge ordered testimony from two of the top DOJ lawyers involved in the March deportation operation.
EMERGING POLICY AND THREATS TO IMMIGRANTS
Detention and Deportation
Immigration Agents Are Using Air Passenger Data for Deportation Effort (New York Times, December 12, 2025): The Transportation Security Administration is providing passenger lists to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to identify and detain travelers subject to deportation orders.
Unaccompanied Migrant Children Being Sent to Texas Border to Be Deported, Lawyers Say (Sandra Sanchez, Border Report, December 10, 2025): The Trump administration is sending dozens of unaccompanied migrant children to the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas to await deportation, Border Report has learned.
After the Blitz: What Our Chicago Neighbors Are Facing in ICE Detention (National Immigrant Justice Center, December 10, 2025): Since early September 2025, ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, in collaboration with other federal agencies, have unlawfully taken thousands of community members from Chicagoland’s neighborhoods during the Trump administration’s so-called “Operation Midway Blitz.”
DHS Inks Contract to Create Its Own Fleet of 737 Jets for Deportations (Washington Post, December 10, 2025): The agency will spend nearly $140 million to buy the planes, funding that comes from a massive budget increase for immigration enforcement approved by Congress.
Augsburg President Decries ICE Detention of a Student on Private Campus (Minnesota Star Tribune, December 8, 2025): University officials say agents refused to provide a judicial warrant before taking the student from a private parking lot on campus.
A Thousand Confirmed Kidnappings in the Past 90 Days, Plus Two More Deaths in Detention (LA Taco, December 8, 2025): Exactly three months ago, six Supreme Court justices removed the temporary restraining order on roaming raids in Los Angeles, giving immigration agents the go-ahead to racially profile Latinos. Since that decision, today we have reached at least 1000 confirmed kidnappings.
Judge Orders the Release of an Immigrant with Ties to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (AP, December 8, 2025): A Brazilian woman with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will be released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody while she fights potential deportation, an immigration judge ruled Monday.
Immigration Agents Target Family of Deported College Student (New York Times, December 7, 2025): The father of Any Lucía Belloza López said agents appeared at his home in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. His daughter, 19, was deported to Honduras during a surprise trip home for Thanksgiving.
U.S. Deports Second Planeload of Iranians, Officials Say (New York Times, December 7, 2025): The plane, carrying about 50 Iranians and other deportees, took off from Arizona on Sunday, under a deal the Trump administration reached with Iran two months ago.
ICE Has Arrested Nearly 75,000 People with No Criminal Records, Data Shows (NBC News, December 7, 2025): The figures don’t include arrests made by Border Patrol, which has launched aggressive immigration operations in several cities in recent months.
Immigration Hawks Push for New Restrictions in Wake of National Guard Shooting (Politico, December 6, 2025): Members of Congress and Trump administration officials view the shooting as an opportunity for an aggressive effort to shore up screening of would-be migrants.
A Record 65,735 People in ICE Custody as of November 30 (Austin Kocher Substack, December 6, 2025): These are the highest verifiable numbers on public record.
Targeted Cities
New Orleans Restaurants Feel Squeezed as Border Patrol Sweeps In (New York Times, December 8, 2025): Ripple effects from a federal crackdown illustrate how heavily the city’s robust dining scene depends both directly and indirectly on immigrant workers.
Records Reviewed by AP Detail Online Monitoring, Arrests in New Orleans Immigration Crackdown (CNN, December 7, 2025): State and federal authorities are closely tracking online criticism and demonstrations, monitoring message boards and compiling updates on public “sentiment” surrounding arrests.
Profiles in Authoritarianism, Racism, and Cruelty
ICE Agents in Cedar-Riverside Acting ‘Without Regard for Civil Rights,’ Minnesota Rep Says (MPR, December 11, 2025): ICE is entering apartment complexes and asking people on the streets about their status, asking them if they’re citizens.
This Detroit Teen Dreams of Attending College. Immigration Agents Arrested Her at Gunpoint (Outlier Media, December 8, 2025: Western HS student remains locked in a Texas ICE prison. ‘They treated her like a criminal.’
DHS Shares Christmas-Themed Deportation Memes (Axios, December 8, 2025): “It’s deeply troubling to see AI-generated images paired with a Christmas message to advance anti-immigrant rhetoric. Using this holy season in such a way is not only abhorrent but antithetical to everything that Advent and Christmas stand for,” said Jeremy Weitz, a spokesperson for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.
Senator Says ICE ‘Attack Dog’ Caused ‘Horrific’ Injuries to Unresisting Man as He Was Detained (Guardian, December 6, 2025): Patty Murray of Washington state said ICE agents lied to Wilmer Toledo-Martinez to lure him outside before dog attacked him.
Attacks on US Citizens, Authorized Non-Citizen Immigrants, and Immigrants in General
Trump Officials ‘Conspiring to Illegally Intimidate’ Non-Citizens via New VA Report, Lawmakers Say (Guardian, December 12, 2025): Congress members seek answers after Guardian revealed data to be shared for immigration enforcement.
US Ends Temporary Legal Status for Ethiopians Amid Trump Crackdown (Guardian, December 12, 2025): Kristi Noem says Ethiopia ‘no longer meets conditions’ for US to provide work authorization and legal protection.
ICE Agents Tackle, Arrest American Citizen in Minneapolis (MPR, December 10, 2025): Federal immigration agents tackled and arrested a Somali American man in Minneapolis on Tuesday and detained him for about two hours for no apparent reason other than his ethnicity.
‘Trump Gold Card’ Launches, Offering Expedited Immigration Pathway with $1 Million Fee (CNN, December 10, 2025): An official government webpage promises US residency “in record time once applicants have paid a $15,000 processing fee to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), passed a background check and paid $1m.
New US Border Rules Could Require Selfies, 5 Years of Social Media History (USA Today, December 10, 2025): The proposal affects nearly every foreign traveler entering the country — and comes as border searches of personal devices have drawn increasing attention and concern from travelers.
Immigration Agents Have Often Grabbed and Mistreated Citizens, Congressional Investigators Find (Nicole Foy, ProPublica, December 9, 2025): Senate Democrats documented the experiences of nearly two dozen citizens wrongly detained by immigration agents, contradicting the Trump administration’s claims that it only detains immigrants.
Fifteen U.S. Citizens Detained in Over 96 ‘Kavanaugh Stops,’ as Feds Disregard Legal Documentation (Memo Torres, LA Taco, December 8, 2025): Justice Kavanaugh laid out the framework for how racial profiling is permissible by federal agents leading to what has now been coined as the “Kavanaugh Stop,” by professor Anil Kalhan.
Trump Administration Has Revoked 85,000 Visas since January, State Department Official Says (CNN, December 8, 2025): The number includes more than 8,000 student visas.
Trump Vows to Slam America’s Doors Shut as He Heaps Scorn on Immigrants (Guardian, December 7, 2025): National guard shooting prompts extraordinary outburst and targeting of people from startling range of countries.
The U.S. Citizens Getting Caught in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown (Washington Post, December 7, 2025): Latinos describe being detained and assaulted by officers who want to know: “Where were you born?”
Immigrants Kept from Faneuil Hall Citizenship Ceremony as Feds Crackdown Nationwide (GBH, December 5, 2025): Immigrants approved to be naturalized U.S. citizens went to Boston’s Faneuil Hall to pledge allegiance to the United States. But those from 19 countries were removed from the line and told by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that they were prohibited from proceeding due to their countries of origin.
IMMIGRANTS AND THE ECONOMY
Immigrant Workers and the Childcare Crisis (American Immigration Council, December 11, 2025): What’s at stake for families and the economy.
Trump’s Crackdown on Immigration is Taking a Toll on Child Care Workers (AP, December 10, 2025): Trump’s push for the largest mass deportation in history has had an outsized impact on the child care field, which is heavily reliant on immigrants and already strained by a worker shortage.
BY THE NUMBERS
$2 Billion in Pentagon Funds Said to Go to Anti-Immigrant Operations (New York Times, December 10, 2025): Democratic lawmakers said in a report that shifting Defense Department funding to support the Trump administration’s immigration agenda has hurt military readiness.
Poll: Most Americans Favor Birthright Citizenship (Axios, December 9, 2025): Americans overwhelmingly support keeping the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship amid growing public resistance to President Trump’s immigration crackdown, according to a new survey that also measures attitudes across religions.
Mapping 1,200 ICE Partnerships: A Visual Report on the 287(g) Agreement Program (Andrew Thrasher, Substack, December 8, 2025): Park rangers, lottery officials, and our new immigration police state.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Vulnerability of Black Immigrants (Naomi Bethune, The American Prospect, December 12, 2025): Black immigrants are more likely to be deported, in part because of their contact with the criminal justice system.
A Holiday Guide: Debunking 5 Myths about Immigration in the U.S. (Victoria Francis, American Immigration Council, November 25, 2025): Facts on such questions of undocumented immigrants and crime, voting, taxes, public benefits, and employment.
ACTION ITEMS
Public Charge 2025: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Public Charge on November 19, 2025 that—if finalized—could create fear, confusion, and barriers for millions of immigrant families seeking essential health, nutrition, and economic supports. We need to demonstrate strong public opposition to the proposed public charge policy changes through a coalition-wide response. Protecting Immigrant Families invites organizations and individuals to join this effort and stand with immigrant families across the country. More information here.
Protect Ohio Kids – Oppose State HB 42: State House Bill 42 would force educators to report on the immigration status of their students and allow immigration officials to arrest children and their parents on school grounds – a place they go for community, safety, and education. Help protect our kids by opposing State HB 42. Write to your State House Representative today, and share this far and wide with your colleagues, friends, family, and acquaintances in Ohio!
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