Edited by Steve Volk ([email protected])
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.
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Know Your Rights: You can’t protect your rights unless you know what they are. Here’s a 2-page handout prepared by OCSI. If you want a comprehensive resource library of KYR information, updated for 2026, Austin Kocher provides one here.
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!
ACTION ITEMS
AT&T is one of the top corporations profiting from ICE contracts. Its $90.8 million contract with DHS is set to expire in September—but could be extended through 2032 for an additional $74.4 million dollars. With more than 100 million customers in the U.S., our subscriptions keep AT&T running. Add your name to the petition to demand that AT&T cut ties with ICE and not extend their contract! Sign here.
No Warehouses for ICE Detention Centers! Sign the MoveOn petition here.
PICK THREE (No time for all the reporting? Here are three important stories from the past week that you might have overlooked):
Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child (New York Times, March 20, 2026): Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent and a longtime Trump ally, was in a custody battle over his son. An ICE official agreed to help.
An Immigration Court Few Have Herd of Is Quietly Shaping Policy Behind the Scenes (NPR, March 20, 2026): The Board of Immigration Appeals has published a body of immigration case law that significantly narrows the due process and relief from deportation available for immigrants.
Government Defrauds Legal Immigrants and US Sponsors Who Paid $1 Billion in Fees (David Bier, Cato, March 18, 2026): The US government is taking fees from immigrants and US sponsors for services that it has no plans to provide. The government took their money, and now it won’t even adjudicate their applications—in many cases, it refuses even to issue denials.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
What ICE Detention Does to a Child’s Body (Story here)
LOCAL AND OHIO NEWS
Brothers Held by ICE in Ohio Denied Bond, Again (Ohio Capital Journal, March 20, 2026): A Cleveland immigration court judge has again denied bond motions for two brothers arrested by ICE in Athens County, one of whom has Down’s syndrome. The two were seeking asylum from violence in Venezuela but instead will face deportation.
A Lesson from Student Protests (Chronicle-Telegram, March 14, 2026): Students protesting ICE at Lorain High School, Lorain County Joint Vocational School, and Elyria High School: “This is a civic opportunity, a teachable moment… as you can see, nothing but class,” said Superintendent Jeff Graham.
RESISTING, PROTESTING, AND ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE
Two cheers for Minneapolis: JFK Library Honors Twin Cities for Peaceful Protest during ICE Operation (Minnesota Star Tribune, March 19, 2026): The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum gave Minnesotans and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell the Profile in Courage Award, which has recognized presidents, first responders and heads of state. And: Minneapolis Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize after Anti-ICE Protests (Newsweek, February 3, 2026): Minneapolis and its residents have been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, amid ongoing tensions in Minnesota over the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
States Seek to Unmask Federal Immigration Agents – and Their Own Police (AP, March 19, 2026): A little over a month after a California law was suspended, Washington state’s Democratic governor signed a law limiting facial coverings on law enforcement officers.
How a Minneapolis Childcare Center Survived the ICE Surge – and Is Moving Forward (Guardian, March 20, 2026): Dozens of volunteers, mostly over the age of 70, offer rides and serve as interpreters.
13 Anti-ICE Anthems and Music Videos, Ranked (L.A. Taco, March 18, 2026): Major artists and newcomers alike are putting their stamp on the political moment, plus nine honorable mentions to songs that get everybody amped for the fight against fascism.
What It’s Like to Protest ICE in the Shadow of Dilley Detention Center (New York Magazine, March 17, 2026): A pastor leading a 90-mile walk. 30 students serving in-school suspension.
Border Patrol Official Bovino Who Led Minnesota Operation to Retire (Axios, March 16, 2026): Will retire at the end of March. Ha!
Florida Sheriffs Rebel Against Trump’s, DeSantis’ Mass Deportation Efforts (Florida Phoenix, March 16, 2026): Florida’s Republican sheriffs want President Donald Trump to end mass deportations of undocumented immigrants who haven’t committed crimes, a striking shift from law enforcement in the nation’s most aggressive anti-undocumented immigration state.
El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz Condemns Mass Detention and Deportation, Tells Catholic Agents to Reject Immoral Orders (El Paso Matters, March 15, 2026): “No one has to obey an immoral order.”
Trump Administration Highlighted ‘Mass Deportations’ for Months. Not Anymore (Politico, March 14, 2026): A POLITICO social media analysis from major administration accounts shows only one mention of the phrase “mass deportations” after Feb. 12. [NOTE: You might want to pair this with an article by Jonathan Blitzer, “Trump’s Mass-Detention Campaign” (New Yorker, March 15, 2026): Even with Kristi Noem gone, the Administration’s immigration agenda shows no signs of flagging—in fact, it is leading toward a new humanitarian and legal crisis.]
THE COURTS AND LEGAL ACTIONS
Judge orders Homeland Security to Open Whipple [MN] to Clergy (MPR News, March 20, 2026): A federal judge in St. Paul on Friday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to develop a plan to ensure that clergy are able to visit immigration detainees at the Whipple Federal Building.
Judge Ends Asylum Claims for Liam Conejo Ramos and His Family, Orders Family’s Removal (MPR News, March 18, 2026): The family is appealing the finding, but if they lose the appeal, they are expected to be deported to Ecuador, their country of origin.
Supreme Court to Consider Trump Push to End Protection Status for Haitians and Syrians (Guardian, March 16, 2026): Conservative-majority court sided with administration before and lifted protections for 600,000 Venezuelans.
Appeals Court Allows Trump Administration’s Third Country Deportations, for Now (New York Times, March 16, 2026): The administration’s policy of deporting people to South Sudan, Rwanda and other distant countries has been a striking attempt to create uncertainty for immigrants.
CONCENTRATION CAMPS – WAREHOUSE DETENTION CENTERS
‘We Need an ICE Facility’: Cox Expresses Support for Immigrant Detention Center (KSL.com, March 19, 2026): Utah governor supports warehousing immigrants despite opposition from many.
ICE’s Detention Expansion Meets Resistance in Communities Across the Political Spectrum (NPR, March 18, 2026): A tug of war is playing out in many towns across America as ICE expands its detention system.
Utah Erupts After Uncovering ICE’s Secret Detention Center Deal (The Hill, March 18, 2026): Despite being ruby red politically, Utahns have deep concerns about the casual dehumanization that seems all too common at ICE’s detention centers.
A Federal Judge Blocked ICE’s Warehouse Detention Facility Near Hagerstown, MD (Austin Kocher Substack, March 18, 2026): Facility reconstruction has been halted under a temporary restraining order because ICE failed to conduct an environmental study.
Kristi Noem Bought 11 Warehouses to Use as ICE Jails. Now What? (Nick Miroff, The Atlantic, March 16, 2026): DHS’s next leader will inherit a fast-moving $38 billion plan for industrial-scale immigrant detention.
Social Circle Officials Cut Off Water to Site of Planned Georgia ICE Detention “Mega-Center” (CBS News, March 16, 2026): The City of Social Circle has a new message for ICE: No water or sewer services for its planned detention center until city officials get some information.
‘Arizona Alcatraz’? U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Hires a Contractor for New Detention Facility in Phoenix Suburbs (Deseret News, March 15, 2026): ‘This was done without any local input or the slightest concern for the surrounding community,’ Democratic lawmakers say in a letter to DHS.
Trump Officials Set to Expand Migrant Family Detention at Louisiana Airport (Guardian, March 14, 2026): Alexandria airport center would hold migrant families and children inside converted barracks before deportation.
ICE BUCKET
New Data Shows Where ICE Has Been Most Active This Year (New York Times, March 20, 2026): The pace of ICE arrests nationwide has topped 1,100 per day on average in 2026.
Nashville Journalist Estefany Rodríguez Released from Louisiana Detention Facility (Nashville Banner, March 19, 2026): The Nashville Noticias reporter returns home to Tennessee and will continue her legal fight against arrest and deportation.
ICE Releases Columbia Protester Who Was Held for One Year (New York Times, March 16, 2026): Leqaa Kordia, 33, had been held in a Texas facility, where she said her health had declined. She was arrested during a 2024 protest and then detained by ICE in March 2025.
What Happens When ICE Shows Up at New York City Hospitals? (Gothamist, March 15, 2026): Worries over enforcement — and how hospitals should respond to the threat — are an ongoing concern for health care workers, including New York City nurses who went on strike earlier this year.
EMERGING POLICY AND THREATS TO IMMIGRANTS
Targeting Toddlers and Minors
Canadian Mother and Daughter ‘Traumatized’ by ICE Detainment, Husband Says (Guardian, March 20, 2026): Tania Warner and Ayla, her seven-year-old with autism, sent to notorious Texas detention center and told to ‘self-deport.’
ICE Has Abruptly Deported Thousands of Kids. Their Families Say It Traumatized Them (The Marshall Project, March 18, 2026): Families left behind keepsakes, medicine, pets, cars and homes, sometimes leaving the U.S. with little more than the clothes on their backs.
N.Y.C. High School Student Freed After 10 Months in ICE Detention (New York Times, March 18, 2026): The arrest of Dylan Lopez Contreras was the first case of a public school student in the city being taken by federal agents last year. “I still can’t believe that I’m out,” he said.
What ICE Detention Does to a Child (The Cut, March 18, 2026): Stunted growth. Nightmares. Bed-wetting. These are just a few of the symptoms of our country’s youngest detainees.
Abused and Neglected Youth Granted Immigration Protections Are Being Detained and Deported (NBC News, March 17, 2026): Last year, ICE detained 265 and deported 132 young people with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
Detention and Deportation and Death
Record Deaths in US Immigration Custody Expose Systemic Failures (Guardian, March 21, 2026): Families, advocates and lawmakers say poor care, opaque investigations and bureaucracy leave deaths unexplained.
Handcuffs, Tents and Pleas for Medical Care: Pregnant in ICE Detention (New York Times, March 20, 2026): Women describe conditions that violate longstanding agency guidelines for how pregnant detainees should be treated.
Trump Administration Is Deporting Parents without Their Children in Violation of its Own Policies, Report Finds (Guardian, March 19, 2026): Dozens said they weren’t given chance to arrange care for their kids after being deported at short notice, study shows.
Nineteen-Year-Old Mexican Man Dies in ICE Custody, Agency Says (Reuters, March 19, 2026): Royer Perez Jimenez, of Mexico, who was being held at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida, was the 13th immigrant to die in federal immigration custody this year.
Son and Brother of Afghan Man Who Died in ICE Custody Demand Answers: “I Want to Know Why He Died” (CBS News, March 18, 2026): Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, was detained by ICE on March 13 while getting ready to take his children to school. He died the following day in a Dallas hospital.
Immigration Enforcement Threatens Housing Security, Rippling Through Local Economies (Ohio Capital Journal, March 17, 2026): The deportation of a breadwinner, the potential exposure of tenants’ personal data and stricter federal housing policies can all stress families, advocates say, even as some policymakers are trying to help.
Mapping 41 ICE Detention Deaths During the Second Trump Administration (Austin Kocher Substack, March 16, 2026): 41 people have died in ICE detention since January 2025. We mapped these deaths using ICE’s own press releases. Here’s what the data shows and why Congress needs to act.
What Happened to Daphy? Haitian Woman’s Death Prompts Pittsburgh Immigration Lawyer to Question ICE Procedures (Trib/Live, March 16, 2026): Daphy Michel, who lived in Charleroi and had mental health issues, was set free from detention in Pittsburgh.
Nashville Journalist Arrested by ICE Granted Bond, Remains Detained While Feds Consider Appeal (Tennessee Lookout, March 16, 2026): Attorneys for Estefany Rodriguez says she has been subject to “inhumane and difficult treatment”; they will challenge her arrest as retaliation for her work as a journalist in federal court on Tuesday.
As Immigration Fears Sweep Eastern WA, even Priests Worry about Being Deported (Tri-City Herald, March 14, 2026): To be ordained in the Yakima diocese, priests must be bilingual in English and Spanish. Many of them are immigrants with temporary visas.
Authoritarianism, Lawlessness, Racism, and Cruelty
US Veteran Charged with ‘Conspiracy’ Over ICE Protest Refuses to Plead Guilty (Guardian, March 20, 2026): The right to protest is ‘fundamentally American’, says Bajun Mavalwalla who awaits trial and faces six years in prison.
DHS Seeks Access to Massive Employment, Salary and Family Database Legally Restricted to Use in Child Support Cases (ProPublica, March 11, 2026): The Trump administration’s immigration enforcers are requesting unfettered access to the government’s “most powerful people-finder system,” which contains sensitive information on children and victims of domestic violence.
IMMIGRATION AND THE ECONOMY
Trump Administration Acknowledges It Needs Immigrant Farmworkers as It Moves to Cut Their Pay (Cal Matters, March 19, 2026): A Trump administration attorney conceded “there aren’t enough Americans to take these jobs” at a federal court hearing in Fresno this week as she defended a policy that would cut pay to immigrant laborers.
Texas Could Lose Thousands of Trained Workers After Licensing Rule Change (Austin American-Statesman, March 15, 2026): Hairdressers, barbers and electricians, possibly by the thousands, have lost access to licenses after the state added a legal-status requirement.
To Address Farm Labor Shortage, Trump Administration Turns to Migrant Workers (New York Times, March 15, 2026): As the president’s immigration policies squeeze an already tight supply of farm labor, the Trump administration is making it cheaper to hire foreign farmworkers.
Texas and Florida’s Suspension of New H-1B Visas Will Hit Science Hard at Public Universities (Chemistry World, March 12, 2026): Public universities in Florida and Texas have been temporarily banned from hiring new international faculty and staff members on H-1B non-immigrant visas. There is concern that this could harm research at higher education institutions in these states and that these bans could be replicated across the country.
BY THE NUMBERS
Here’s How Many Immigrants Have Signed on to DHS’s Nearly Billion-Dollar ‘Self-Deportation’ Plan (CNN, March 18, 2026): 72,000 so far, with the majority already in ICE detention.
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States (Migration Policy Institute, March 12, 2026): A useful compilation of statistics.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Serving the US Doesn’t Guarantee Citizenship. Some Veterans Still Face Deportation (Military.com, March 17, 2026): An estimated 115,000 noncitizen veterans live in the United States.
The ‘Big Back Scar’ (Nick Miroff, The Atlantic, March 17, 2026): Trump is blowing up national-park land in Arizona to wall off one of the border’s last wild places.
Thomas Friedman, Why Minnesota Matters More than Iran for America’s Future (New York Times, March 15, 2026): Minnesota showed a spontaneous uprising of civic activism propelled by a single idea — I am my neighbor’s keeper, whoever he or she is and however he or she got here.Temporary Protected Status (TPS): An Overview (American Immigration Council, March 13, 2026): A handy summary of what TPS is all about.
‘America Doesn’t Want My Children or Grandchildren’ (Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, March 3, 2026): The Cruz family spent years building a life in New York. Then the risks of staying became too great.