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.
Know Your Rights: You can’t protect your rights unless you know what they are. Here’s a 2-page handout prepared by OCSI.
Previous issues of this newsletter are archived 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!
PICK THREE (No time for all the reporting? Here are three important stories from the past week that you might have overlooked):
There’s a Battle on Three Fronts as DHS Turbocharges its Immigration Offensive (CNN, January 9, 2026): With aggressive arrests, a non-stop social media blitz and crackdowns on protesters, his administration’s turbocharged immigration offensive is changing what we see on the streets — and online.
An Elegy for My Neighbor, Renee Nicole Good (Danez Smith, Harper’s Bazaar, January 9, 2026): Fellow poet Danez Smith memorializes the Minneapolis mother’s call to witness.
The Wrath of Stephen Miller (Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, and Nick Miroff, The Atlantic, January 7, 2026): The man who turns President Trump’s most incendiary impulses into policy.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
ICE’s New-Age Propaganda (Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, January 7, 2026; illustration by Ariel Davis). Story here.
LOCAL AND OHIO NEWS
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther Says ICE Lacks Law Enforcement Training (Columbus Dispatch, January 9, 2026): An ICE operation in Ohio, dubbed “Operation Buckeye,” resulted in over 280 arrests in late December.
Did ICE Leave Columbus? The Feds’ Operation Buckeye Enters Quieter Phase (Columbus Dispatch, January 8, 2026): Before the December surge ended around Christmas, there were 10-20 reports of ICE arrests per day. It’s now at 3-5 per day.
MURDER IN MINNEAPOLIS
Anger and Outrage Spills onto Minneapolis Streets after ICE Officer’s Fatal Shooting of Renee Good (AP, January 9, 2026): Hundreds of people protesting the shooting of Renee Good marched in freezing rain at night down one of Minneapolis’ major thoroughfares, chanting “ICE out now” and holding signs saying, “killer ice off our streets.” Protesters earlier vented their outrage outside a federal facility that is serving as a hub for the administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major city.
Maduro in Minneapolis (Timothy Snyder Substack, January 9, 2026): The shadow of Maduro hangs over Minneapolis.
ICE Agent Was Not in the Vehicle’s Path When He Fired at Driver, Video Shows (Washington Post, January 8, 2026): A frame-by-frame analysis of video footage raises questions about claims by President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem.
First the Shooting. Then the Lies (Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, January 8, 2026): Administration officials’ indifference to facts, to due process, to the dignity of the deceased, and to basic human decency is remarkable.
‘She Was an Amazing Human Being’: Mother Identifies Woman Shot, Killed by ICE Agent (Minnesota Star Tribune, January 7, 2026): Renee Nicole Good, 37, lived in Minneapolis with her partner just blocks from where she was shot.
ICE Agents Can Be Charged with Murder (David Dayen, The American Prospect, January 7, 2026): As a killing in Minneapolis is documented, the law clearly stipulates that federal agents do not have universal immunity.
RESISTING, PROTESTING, AND ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE
ICE and Border Patrol Shootings Spark Hundreds of Weekend Vigils and Protests (Axios, January 9, 2026): “ICE Out for Good” vigils slated for the entire country on January 10-11.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Announced ICE Accountability Project (CBS News, January 8, 2026): Lightfoot’s ICE Accountability Project is an independent initiative to collect and document alleged criminal and abusive conduct by federal agents.
Avelo Airlines Will End DHS Deportation Flights by End of January (Delaware Online-USA Today, January 7, 2026): The airline will close its base in Mesa, Arizona, where the flights take place, and conclude its participation in the DHS charter program Jan. 27, Avelo spokesperson Courtney Goff confirmed with Delaware Online/The News Journal on Jan. 7.
Pope Leo Calls for Christians to Treat Foreigners with Kindness as He Closes Catholic Holy Year (Fox News, January 7, 2026): ‘After this year, will we be better able to recognize a pilgrim in the visitor, a seeker in the stranger, a neighbor in the foreigner?’ the Pope asked.
New Jersey Is Fighting Back against Trump and ICE with 3 Bold Proposals (NJ.com, January 7, 2026): Prevent state agencies from sharing immigration status information with ICE, restrict police from stopping people based on status or race, and designate schools and hospitals as sensitive locations free from immigration enforcement.
Minnesota Hilton Cancels ICE Agents’ Hotel Reservations (Guardian, January 5, 2026): Move sparks praise but chain says hotel independently operated and cancellations ‘not reflective of Hilton values.’
US Faith Leaders Supporting Targeted Immigrants Brace for a Tough Year Ahead (AP, December 30, 2025): President Donald Trump has become harsher with his contemptuous rhetoric and policy proposals, blaming immigrants for problems from crime to housing shortages and, in a social media post, demanding “REVERSE MIGRATION.”
The First National Website Dedicated to Documenting ICE License Plates Is Here (Aisha Wallace-Palomares, LA Taco, December 23, 2025): “Something like the plate tracker helps to encourage and promote legal transparency and legal accountability, especially when they’re going around, switching plates, trying to hide, trying to be undetectable,” said Sherman Austin.
THE COURTS
Migrants Facing Detention Find New Reprieve from Federal Courts (Washington Times, January 6, 2026): More than 3,000 alien habeas petitions were filed in December alone, up from just a couple of dozen cases a month in 2024.
Hundreds of Judges Reject Trump’s Mandatory Detention Policy, with No End in Sight (Politico, January 5, 2026): Judges have ruled against the administration in more than 1,600 cases.
EMERGING POLICY AND THREATS TO IMMIGRANTS
Detention and Deportation
92% of ICE Detention Growth in FY 2026 Driven by Immigrants with No Criminal Convictions (Austin Kocher Substack, January 8, 2026): I CE published new detention data today that brings the current population to a record-high of 68,990. Get the full breakdown below. Plus: ICE records first detention death of 2026.
600,000 Venezuelans Face U.S. Deportation after Maduro Raid (Axios, January 6, 2026): President Trump’s decisive action to remove Maduro marks a turning point for Venezuelans. Now, they can return to the country they love and rebuild its future,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson Matthew Tragesser in a statement.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Announces over 10,000 Arrests in ‘Operation Tidal Wave’ (News6-Orlando, January 5, 2026): The governor discussed the deportation facilities in Sanderson and South Florida. In August, DeSantis announced that the closed institution in Sanderson would be repurposed as a detention center, which he called the “Deportation Depot.”
Targeted Cities
Federal Immigration Officers Shoot and Wound 2 People in Portland, Oregon, Authorities Say (AP, January 9, 2026): The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building at night, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield vowed to investigate “whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority” and refer criminal charges to the prosecutor’s office if warranted.
Boston Police ‘Categorically Flout’ Federal Immigration Officials, Trump Administration Says (Boston Globe, January 7, 2026): The city’s current course is “obstructionist” and “unlawfully discriminates against the federal government by singling out federal immigration enforcement for unfavorable treatment,“ lawyers for the Department of Justice wrote in a 28-page motion filed Tuesday in federal court in Boston.
2,000 Federal Agents Sent to Minneapolis Area to Carry Out ‘Largest Immigration Operation Ever,’ ICE Says (PBS, January 6, 2026): Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was also present and accompanied ICE officers during at least one arrest. A video posted on X showed Noem wearing a tactical vest and knit cap as agents arrested a man in St. Paul. In the video, she tells the handcuffed man: “You will be held accountable for your crimes.”
Profiles in Authoritarianism, Racism, and Cruelty
Agents in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Have Fired at Vehicles at Least 10 Times (New York Times, January 9, 2026): The confrontations over the last four months have left two people dead and prompted criticism of federal agencies for allowing officers to open fire on moving vehicles.
Trump Administration Jails Migrant Teens in Facility Known for Child Abuse (Washington Post, January 8, 2026): Pennsylvania recently revoked a license for the secure juvenile detention center where the administration sends some migrant children, even some with no pending criminal charges.
Deadly Minneapolis Encounter Is the 9th ICE Shooting Since September (New York Times, January 7, 2026): All those targeted in the shootings were fired on while in their vehicles.
Florida Bill Would Ban Public Colleges from Admitting Undocumented Students (Florida Phoenix, January 6, 2026): SB 1052 instructs public colleges and universities to exclusively admit students who are “citizen[s] of the United States” or “lawfully present therein.”
Attacks on US Citizens, Authorized Non-Citizen Immigrants, and Immigrants in General
Federal Agents Are Violating the Rights of Americans (Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, January 9, 2026): ICE and the National Guard are acting with impunity.
Maryland Woman Who Says She Is US Citizen Finally Released from ICE Custody (Guardian, January 9, 2026): Dulce Consuelo Díaz Morales was held for 25 days even after attorneys said they presented ICE with US birth certificate.
Denaturalization Is Part of Trump’s Crackdown on Immigrants (New York Times, January 8, 2026): The administration is looking at Somali-born American citizens as well as other groups, but the president did not specify which.
U.S. Mandates More Foreign Travelers to Pay $15,000 Visa Bond Deposits (Washington Post, January 6, 2026): Visitors from 13 countries, mostly in Africa, will now be required to post the bonds.
Tiny Caribbean Islands Reach Deal with US Government to Accept Asylum-Seekers (AP, January 5, 2026): The tiny island of Dominica (population 72,000) reached an agreement with the US to accept foreigners seeking US asylum.
IMMIGRANTS AND THE ECONOMY
Does Kansas Need its Immigrants Despite Crackdown? (Wichita Eagle, January 9, 2026): Key business leaders say ‘yes.’
BY THE NUMBERS
Americans Sour on ICE Amid Immigration Crackdown Shootings (Axios, January 9, 2026): Americans now disapprove of ICE and support protests against the agency, according to a new poll conducted the same day a federal officer fatally shot a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis.
High School Principals Share How Immigration Enforcement Impacts Students (Campus Safety, January 7, 2026): About 70% said students from immigrant families have expressed concerns about their well-being or the well-being of their families.
U.S. Population Growth Is Slowing. The Immigration Crackdown Is a Major Factor (NPR, January 7, 2026): Congressional forecasters now think the country will add 7 million fewer people over the next decade than they were projecting a year ago.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Why the White America Trump Dreams of Is Just a Fantasy (Eduardo Porter, Guardian, January 10, 2026): Blocking immigration will not make Trump’s America great again – for the US to shine, he must let it get browner.
How ICE Lost Its Guardrails (Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, January 9 2026): The Minneapolis shooting will get less official scrutiny because of cuts by the Trump administration.
ACTION ITEMS
Joint Statement from Immigration Advocates Opposing Additional Funding in the FY2026 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill: Statement by the National Immigrant Justice Center, Amica Center for Immigration Rights, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Detention Watch Network, United We Dream, ACLU, Human Rights First, and Amnesty International.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT Oberlin Community Supporting Immigrants (OCSI): https://oberlincommunitysi.org/
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