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.
CONTACT OCSI:
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://oberlincommunitysi.org/
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.
ACTION ITEMS
Between May 23 and May 30, communities across Ohio are coming together for a statewide week of interfaith vigils in solidarity with people held in civil immigration detention (a.k.a. ICE jail). Faith leaders, organizers, and community members will raise their voices, hold space for reflection, and stand in collective action. This coordinated week of action calls for: An end to ICE detention, transparency on detention facility funding, and an end to 287(g) agreements. More information here.
Bintou Barro is a Columbus mother of two from Mauritania who was detained at her check-in and is jailed in the Correction Center of NW Ohio. Her habeas corpus petition will be heard before Judge Daniel Polster on Tuesday, May 26 at 1:30 p.m in U.S. District Court (801 West Superior Avenue, Cleveland, with nearby parking at Tower City and local streets). A robust showing of community support at this hearing would be very meaningful. If you can attend, please try to arrive by 1:00 p.m. and go to Courtroom 18B.
Two to-dos from Indivisible:
1. Tell your Republican Members of Congress you don’t want more of your taxpayer dollars going to ICE and Border Patrol: Use our tools to call your Republican senator(s) and Republican representative. The GOP is working on a reconciliation bill that could give ICE and Border Patrol up to $140 BILLION more to fund concentration camps and militarized deployments to US cities. It’s vital they hear from constituents now. Calls are most important, but after hours, you can use our email tool, too.
2. Tell your Democratic Members of Congress to fiercely oppose the new GOP effort to shovel billions more dollars to ICE and Border Patrol. The GOP is using the budget reconciliation process to attempt to force Congress to shower even more taxpayer funding on these unaccountable agencies. We need every Democrat loudly united against this legislation.
PICK THREE (No time for all the reporting? Here are three important stories from the past week that you might have overlooked):
ICE Director Todd Lyons Admits He Didn’t Know Some Deportation Countries Existed (Ohio Capital Journal, May 7, 2026): “Now we are actually removing people to countries that I didn’t even know existed,” Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said, speaking of the third country deportation program in which the administration has sent immigrants to African nations they have no ties to.
Here’s Every Single Death Linked to Immigration Enforcement Since Trump’s Raids Began in 2025 (LA Taco, May 6, 2026): The authors hope this register offers a moment to remember the names and stories of the victims. For each one, they’ve included the backstory they were able to gather alongside the official account from government agencies.
Internal ICE Records Reveal Widespread Use of Force in Detention Centers (Washington Post, May 4, 2026): The reports detail how guards have increasingly used chemical agents and physical tactics on detainees, including groups demanding adequate water, food and medical care.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Protesters gather near the White House to urge the shutdown of immigrant family detention in the United States. Many were from Texas, distraught over the conditions in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. (Photo by Naisha Roy | Medill News Service; story here)
LOCAL AND OHIO NEWS
The Candidate from ICE (Nick Miroff, The Atlantic, May 5, 2026): ICE’s former Deputy Director, Madison Sheahan, is running for a congressional seat against Marcy Kaptur. [UPDATE: Sheahan lost her primary race to former state Rep. Derek Merrin. Sheahan drew attacks from fellow Republicans in the primary for her role in overseeing President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement operations in major cities, which triggered violent confrontations and protests.]
RESISTING, PROTESTING, AND ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE
New York State Set to Ban Law Enforcement, Including ICE, from Wearing Masks (Reuters, May 7, 2026): State law enforcement will also be prohibited from working with ICE and ICE will be banned from entering schools, healthcare facilities, homes, and other sensitive locations without a judicial warrant.
Teen Mariachi Trio Detained by ICE to Open for Kacey Musgraves in Texas (Guardian, April 28, 2026): Gámez-Cuéllar brothers were arrested alongside parents in February and later released after bipartisan backlash.
IKAR Raises Funds for Minneapolis High School Impacted by ICE Raids: The Los Angeles Jewish congregation is raising funds to support a school where some 500 of the 773 enrolled students have stopped attending because of fear of ICE raids.
LA County Policy Expands Immigrant Patient Rights. Hardly Anyone Knows About It (LAist, April 24, 2026): After widespread reports last year of immigration agents interfering with patient care and privacy at local hospitals, Los Angeles County now has a policy that asserts the rights of detained patients and instructs county public hospital staff on how to handle the ICE agents who accompany them.
THE COURTS AND LEGAL ACTIONS
‘Everyone Has a Breaking Point’: The Immigration Judges at the Sharp End of Trump’s Deportation Drive (Guardian, May 9, 2026): Judges have been fired or taken buyouts, and those remaining say they toe the government line.
Federal Judge Orders ICE to Release 19-Year Old Mainer Detained in Texas Since November (Maine Public Radio, May 7, 2026): Olivia Andre and her family are Congolese asylum seekers. Her mother and younger siblings were released from the same facility in March.
Immigration Enforcement Guidance for Warrantless Arrests Falls Short, Federal Judge Says (AP, May 7, 2026): A federal judge said Thursday that instructions received by immigration enforcement officers to make civil immigrant arrests without warrants do not meet probable cause standards and should not used as guidance.
Migrant Children Fight Prolonged Custody in US with Habeas Cases (Bloomberg Law, May 6, 2026): Unaccompanied kids are experiencing ballooning timelines in Health and Human Services custody while the Trump administration tightens sponsor vetting. That’s prompted an uptick in these court challenges, known as habeas petitions. Previously rare for children, more than a dozen have been filed over the past year, lawyers said.
Trump’s Mandatory Detention Policy Fails in Florida Appeals Court (Axios, May 6, 2026): Two federal appeals courts have ruled against the government, while two others have supported the policy. One deadlocked.
Judge Declines Bid by Districts to Temporarily Block Immigration Agents from Minnesota Schools (Minnesota Star Tribune, May 6, 2026): Districts had asked the court to temporarily reinstate a policy they claimed made their campuses off-limits to federal agents.
Dismissed Chicago Immigration Judge Sues Trump Administration (Chicago Tribune, May 5, 2026): A former Chicago immigration judge has accused the federal government of firing her based on her previous work as a lawyer for immigrants as well as her race and sex.
“15,000 Cases in Limbo” US Government Shuts Down San Francisco Immigration Court Four Months Ahead of Schedule (Times of India, May 3, 2026): The closure took effect eight months ahead of schedule and ended operations at one of the country’s busiest immigration courts.
Supreme Court Takes Up Appeal from Trump Administration over Living Conditions for Migrant Farmworkers (CNN, April 27, 2026): The case centers on a dispute between a New Jersey farm that hired 96 foreign workers in 2015 and the Department of Labor which claims the farm failed to meet basic working conditions such as constant access to drinking water, clean bathrooms, and a kitchen to prepare food.
HAITIAN TPS ARGUED AT THE SUPREME COURT
Conditions in Haiti ‘Grave’ as Supreme Court Weights Allowing Revoked Legal Status and Deportation (Ohio Capital Journal, May 5, 2026): New assessment calls it “one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.”
Republicans Split with Trump and Back Haitians – to Save Their Seats (Guardian, May 4, 2026): In Ohio, where Haitians have helped revive the economy, vulnerable Republicans are reluctant to toe the Trump line.
Legal Teams React to SCOTUS Arguments on Cases Challenging Termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria (International Refugee Assistance Project, April 29, 2026): Attorneys and others share their reactions to oral arguments in the case.
DETENTION WAREHOUSES AND CONCENTRATION CAMPS
DeSantis Acknowledges Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ May Wind Down Operations (Politico, May 7, 2026): The center opened with great fanfare from the president’s allies and even drew a visit from Trump. But it has been sharply criticized by immigration advocates and Democrats over its operations, while environmental and tribal groups filed lawsuits challenging its construction.
ICE BUCKET
New Wave of ICE Deployments Could Impact More than 40 States (USA Today, May 7, 2026): ICE plans to deploy about 330 people to cities in more than 40 states, along with Puerto Rico, according to records reviewed by USA TODAY. Texas will receive the most, with 49 people deployed. Other cities targeted for increased ICE presence include Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, Nashville and Seattle.
Trump Administration Axes Fast-Track Training for New ICE Recruits (Politico, May 6, 2026): The Department of Homeland Security is overhauling its training program for immigration agents, including restoring training that had been shortened amid a rush to put agents on the street.
Trump Border Czar Threatens ICE Surge if New York Approves Sanctuary Measures (Politico, May 5, 2026): Gov. Kathy Hochul decried the remarks, saying they are at odds with what the president told her earlier this year. [RELATED: Defiant Border Czar Brushes Away MAGA Critics, Says ‘Mass Deportations Are Coming’ (CNN, May 5, 2026): “You ain’t seen shit yet,” Homan said. “This year will be a good year. Mass deportations are coming.”]
ICE Is Giving Local Police Big Money to Help with Immigration Enforcement (NPR, May 5, 2026): Nationwide, the Department of Homeland Security is promising $100,000 for new vehicles and potentially tens of thousands more in equipment to law enforcement agencies who sign on.
Man Shot Seven Times by ICE Agents Indicted in Alleged Assault on Federal Officers (KTVU2, May 1, 2026): Investigators claim agents fired on Carlos Ivan Hernandez when he attempted to flee the scene, while Hernandez says officers shot him for refusing to comply.
EMERGING POLICY AND THREATS TO IMMIGRANTS
Targeting Children
Revealed: The Trump Administration Arrested the Parents of at Least 27,000 Kids in Seven Months (Guardian, May 8, 2026): The Guardian analyzed ICE records from January-August 2025, as advocates say the family-separation crisis will lead to generational trauma.
Detention and Deportation and Death
DOJ Decision Puts Deportation Target on Dreamers, Hispanic Caucus Says (Ohio Capital Journal, May 1, 2026): Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus raised serious concerns Thursday about the impact of a recent Department of Justice decision that will make it easier to deport hundreds of thousands of people brought into the country unlawfully as children, referred to as Dreamers.
Authoritarianism, Lawlessness, Racism, Stupidity, and Cruelty
Dept. of Justice Investigating Fairfax County’s [VA] Top Attorney Over Handling of Cases Involving Immigrants (WTOP News, May 6, 2026): The investigation would determine if attorney’s office “discriminated against United States citizens by offering preferential treatment only to illegal alien criminal defendants.”
Students from Countries in Crisis See Support Disappear (Karin Fischer, Chronicle of Higher Education, May 6, 2026): Since January 2025, DHS has not renewed Special Student Relief for students from 14 countries experiencing humanitarian, economic or political crises. These include Ukraine, Sudan, Palestine, Haiti, and Lebanon, among others.
US to Close Watchdog Office for Federal Immigration Detention Abuses (Reuters, May 5, 2026): The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, which was gutted last year when Trump targeted oversight offices, is now being closed, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Attacks on All Immigrants
Trump Administration Ramps Up Denaturalization Campaign, Targeting U.S. Citizens Accused of Crime, Fraud, Terrorism (CBS News, May 8, 2026): The Justice Department unveiled denaturalization cases in federal courts across the country against roughly a dozen U.S. citizens born overseas. Officials said they had committed serious crimes or immigration fraud or had ties to terrorism.
U.S. Citizen Detained for Third Time by Federal Immigration Agents in Alabama (Al.com, May 8 2026): A U.S. citizen who was arrested on two different job sites by immigration officials last year was detained for a third time last weekend after again showing federal officers his Alabama REAL ID, his lawsuit alleges.
Some Immigrants Seeking Green Cards May Be Placed in Removal Proceedings, USCIS Says (NBC News, May 6, 2026): Immigration authorities may begin removal proceedings for immigrants who lack legal status and apply for green cards through spouses, according to USCIS guidance.
ICE Raids Have Chicago’s Immigrant Tenants on ‘Brink of Eviction,’ Report Finds (Block Club Chicago, May 4, 2026): Families are thousands of dollars behind on rent due to lost wages, the report from Rent Brigade found. Advocates are calling for City Council to enact a blanket eviction moratorium as ICE continues to target immigrants.
IMMIGRATION AND THE ECONOMY
One American Loses Their Job for Every 6 Immigrants Removed from the Workforce (Fortune, May 5, 2026): Researchers see ‘No Evidence’ that ICE Is helping the economy.
A GOP Lawmaker Supported an Immigration Crackdown. Her Husband Paid a Price (Washington Post, May 4, 2026): Glenneda Zuiderveld is a Republican state senator and member of a far-right bloc that was pushing for strict immigration laws. Idaho’s dairy industry, which powers the economy of the Magic Valley region anchored by Twin Falls, depends on foreign-born labor and fiercely opposed the measures.
BY THE NUMBERS
How Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Is Affecting Everyday Americans, According to a New AP-NORC Poll (AP, May 6, 2026): 61% say “The U.S. used to be a great place for immigrants but is not anymore.”
What Americans Actually Want Done About ICE (G. Elliott Morris, Strength in Numbers Substack, Feb. 6, 2026): Democratic proposals for reform earn supermajority support among U.S. voters.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Immigrants Are Giving Up Their Cases and Leaving the U.S. in Soaring Number (Washington Post, May 8, 2026): People facing the prospect of prolonged ICE detention are increasingly abandoning their claims for humanitarian protection and agreeing to depart voluntarily.
A Series of Breaking News Photos from Trump’s Immigration Crackdown (Reuters, May 4, 2026): Reuters was named a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography ‘for coverage of wide-ranging immigration enforcement actions across the United States, a portfolio distinguished by its breadth, power and immediacy.’