PICK THREE (No time for all the reporting? Here are three important stories from the past week that you might have overlooked):
Immigration Appeals Court Expands Mandatory Detention for Millions (Politico, September 5, 2025): The ruling by EOIR upends a decadeslong understanding of immigration law, could subject millions of immigrants to mandatory detention, and is in conflict with recent federal court rulings.
What ICE Agents Can and Cannot Legally Do During Arrests (Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, September 5, 2025): But what is allowable is becoming more unclear as these tactics test the limits of the law, according to immigration law experts.
Judges Warn ICE Turning Courts into Deportation Traps (Marco Poggio, Law360, September 5, 2025): “In order to create the vast numbers of arrests that the White House is demanding, they are arresting people who, minutes before their arrest, have legal status, and they’re breaking the law left and right to do it,” said Judge Dana Leigh Marks, who retired in 2021.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Arlington Presbyterian Church has partnered with artist Sushmita Mazumdar to place “stumbling stickers” in Arlington, VA, near locations where people have been detained by immigration agents. [See story below]
LOCAL AND OHIO NEWS
Layoffs, Desperation, Hunger Plague Springfield Haitians with 6 More Months to Live in US (The Columbus Dispatch, September 2, 2025): Haitians with a special protected status have six more months to leave the United States after a federal court injunction, but some advocates foresee a humanitarian crisis brewing in Springfield before their deadline to exit.
ACLU Demanding Ohio Sheriffs to Release Immigrant Detainees Held Under Invalid ICE Agreements (WTRF.com, August 28, 2025): In an Aug. 26 opinion, Attorney General Dave Yost said only county commissioners, not sheriffs, can authorize contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ACLU said that means past agreements signed by sheriffs were invalid from the start and “hold no legal force.”
EMERGING POLICY AND THREATS TO IMMIGRANTS
Detention and Deportation
Trump Administration Plans to Deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Eswatini (CNN, September 5, 2025): Eswatini is one of four African countries that have struck a deal with the Trump administration to receive foreign deportees, along with Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.
South Koreans Are Swept Up in Immigration Raid at Hyundai Plant in Georgia (New York Times, September 5, 2025): They were among nearly 500 workers apprehended at a construction site for a South Korean battery maker, officials said. The episode prompted diplomatic concern in Seoul.
Raid on Upstate New York Food Manufacturer Leads to Dozens of Detentions (AP, September 5, 2025): Federal agents forced open the doors of a snack bar manufacturer in Cato and took away dozens of workers in a surprise enforcement action that the plant’s co-owner called “terrifying.”
Appeals Court Allows Alligator Alcatraz to Continue Immigrant Detention Center Operations (ABC News, September 4, 2025): A lower court’s order previously blocked use based on environmental concerns.
Agency that Issues Visas and Green Cards Is Hiring Armed Agents (Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2025): U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agents will can now make arrests, carry firearms, execute search and arrest warrants, and other powers standard for federal law enforcement.
Bondi Decisions Limit Asylum for Victims of Domestic Abuse, Gang Violence (Washington Post, September 3, 2025): The rulings mark the first time the attorney general has used her authority to review immigration appeals court rulings and set precedents for judges nationwide.
Trump Administration to End Temporary Status of Another 268,000 Venezuelan Migrants, Urging Them to Self-Deport (CBS News, September 3, 2025): The announcement marked the latest effort by the Trump administration to revoke humanitarian protections granted to hundreds of thousands of migrants from countries plagued by political turmoil, war and other crises, making them eligible for potential deportation.
Guatemalan Document Undercuts US Claims on Child Deportations (Reuters, September 3, 2025): The report, produced by a Guatemalan attorney general’s office, said Guatemalan authorities had contacted the families of 115 minors who had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian. Of those, 59 families expressed anger about the possibility of their children being returned to Guatemala, with some even describing it as intimidation.
‘I Told My Family, I’ll Probably Die’: US Immigration Sends Russian Asylum Seekers Back to Moscow (Guardian, September 3, 2025): Russian national who applied for asylum on political grounds describes inhumane treatment while in US custody.
Pentagon Authorizes up to 600 Military Lawyers to Serve as Temporary Immigration Judges (AP, September 2, 2025): The head of the American Immigration Lawyers Association decried bringing in temporary judges who lack expertise in immigration law, saying “it makes as much as sense as having a cardiologist do a hip replacement.”
Emergency Hearing over the Removal of Unaccompanied Minors to Guatemala (Lawfare, August 31, 2025): A play-by-play of Judge Sooknanan’s hearing where she blocked the Trump administration’s plans to send hundreds of unaccompanied children to Guatemala.
Learning in the Shadows: How Immigration Enforcement Harms Students and Schools (American Immigration Council, August 26, 2025): Families are pulling their children out of school, terrified of detentions or deportations.
US Deportation Flights Hit Record Highs as Carriers Try to Hide the Planes, Advocates Say (AP, August 27, 2025): One tracker discovered 1,214 deportation-related flights in July alone.
Profiles in Authoritarianism
Georgia Sen. Ossoff Investigates ICE: Probe Reveals Hundreds of Credible Reports of Abuses in Immigration Detention (Gabe Ortiz, Substack, September 5, 2025): In one instance, a mother begged for medical help after her child, a U.S citizen, began to vomit blood while in CBP custody. “Just give the girl a cracker,” a guard replied.
Undocumented Students in the US See College Pathways Close as Trump Targets Tuition Breaks (AP, September 3, 2025): Across the country, tens of thousands of college students without legal status are losing access to in-state tuition as part of an immigration crackdown carried out by President Donald Trump and his allies.
ICE Is Showing Up to Interview Parents Hoping to Reunite with Their Children Who Entered US Alone (AP, September 2, 2025): The administration has started requiring parents looking to reunite with their children who crossed into the U.S. alone to show up for interviews where immigration officers may question them.
ICE Obtains Access to Israeli-made Spyware that Can Hack Phones and Encrypted Apps (Guardian, September, 2, 2025): Trump administration contract with Paragon Solutions gives immigration agency access to one of the most powerful stealth cyberweapons.
“Trump’s Private Army” (Sam Levin, Guardian, September 2, 2025): Inside the push to recruit 10,000 immigration officers.
At an ICE Career Expo, Thousands Line Up to ‘Defend the Homeland’ (Washington Post, September 2, 2025): Despite polls showing that growing numbers of Americans disapprove of Trump’s aggressive tactics and images of masked ICE agents whisking immigrants off the streets, 3,000 applicants showed up to submit résumés at last week’s career expo, drawn in part by the president’s call to serve and the promise of a signing bonus of up to $50,000 for top recruits.
Alarm after FBI Arrests US Army Veteran for ‘Conspiracy’ Over Protest Against ICE (Guardian, September 2, 2025): Legal experts say charges against Afghanistan war veteran Bajun Mavalwalla II mark an escalation in the Trump administration’s crackdown on first amendment rights.
Stephen Miller’s Financial Stake in ICE Contractor Palantir (Project on Government Oversight, June 24, 2025): Over a dozen Trump appointees in the White House and Department of Homeland Security have owned stock in the controversial company raising privacy concerns across the political spectrum.
The Courts Respond
Judge Halts Trump Officials from Ending Special Status for Venezuelans, Haitians (Washington Post, September 5, 2025): The decision to block the Trump administration from ending TPS for the migrants could shield hundreds of thousands of people from possible deportation.
Appeals Court Rejects Trump’s Bid to Deport Venezuelan Immigrants He Deems ‘Alien Enemies’ (Politico, September 3, 2025): It’s the latest legal setback for Trump’s invocation of the rarely used 1798 wartime law.
Judge Orders Administration to Halt Deportation of Hundreds of Guatemalan Children (Washington Post, August 31, 2025): A federal judge rushed an emergency hearing after learning that the Trump administration was moving to deport children to Guatemala despite an order she had issued earlier Sunday.
IMMIGRANTS AND THE ECONOMY
Behind Every Meal: The Farmworkers Who Feed America (National Immigration Law Center): A story collection lifting the voices of farmworkers; learn about their lives and stand with them in the fight for dignity and justice.
Trump’s Immigration Policy Threatens Key Sectors of California’s Economy, Long Reliant on Immigrant Workers (NBC News, September 2, 2025): At stake are billions of dollars that fuel businesses large and small across the state, whose standalone economy is the fourth largest in the world after the U.S., China and Germany.
Iowa and Nebraska Business Leaders Worry Immigration Restrictions Could Worsen Labor Shortage (3Newsnow.com, September 1, 2025): According to a Nebraska Chamber of Commerce report, immigrants contribute $7.3 billion to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and fill critical positions ranging from rural healthcare to urban construction projects.
1.2 Million Immigrants Are Gone from the US Labor Force under Trump, Preliminary Data Shows (AP, August 31, 2025): Immigrants make up almost 20% of the U.S. workforce and that data shows 45% of workers in farming, fishing and forestry are immigrants, according to Pew senior researcher Stephanie Kramer. About 30% of all construction workers are immigrants and 24% of service workers are immigrants, she added.
IMMIGRATION REFORM
New Bill Offers Green Card Pathway for Immigrant Workers (Newsweek, September 3, 2025): The proposal would grant workers a two-year conditional status if they meet specific requirements, including proof of employment in a covered profession (agriculture, health care, construction, and emergency services), continuous presence in the United States since January 1, 2024, and at least 100 days of annual work in an eligible sector for two consecutive years. Applicants must also pay a fine and remain in good legal standing. After completing the two years, qualifying workers could apply for lawful permanent residency.
COMMUNITIES RESPOND
Supporters Peacefully Rally Outside Cedar Rapids ICE Office amid Small Police Presence (Iowa City Press-Citizen, September 2, 2025): Despite a “checkpoint blockade” outside the Cedar Rapids ICE Field Office and a small police presence, hundreds of people gathered for a “protective action” to support families at their routine immigration check-ins.
Arlington Church Marks Where ICE Detained Community Members with Stickers (NBC4, September 1, 2025): The stickers are inspired by the stumbling stones project in Arlington, where markers are placed to honor the lives of enslaved people.
Utah Musicians Rally Around Violinist Detained by ICE after Decades in the U.S. (NBC News, August 30, 2025): John Shin, a 37-year-old violinist who has played with the Utah Symphony, is being held in a detention center more than 500 miles away from his home.
Crackdown on Immigrant Workers at a Wisconsin Cheese Factory Triggers Backlash, Solidarity (Wisconsin Examiner, August 29, 2025): 43 workers, some of whom labored for more than 20 years at W&W Dairy, recently lost their jobs at a Monroe, Wisconsin, cheese factory.
RESISTANCE
Backlash in Chicago as Mayor Defies President’s Immigration Crackdown (Guardian, August 30, 2025): The order prevents the Chicago police department from collaborating with federal authorities on patrols, immigration enforcement, or conducting traffic stops and checkpoints. It also restricts officers from wearing face coverings to hide their identities.
BY THE NUMBERS
Fact Focus: Posts Overestimate Number of Noncitizens Living in US by Tens of Millions (AP, August 22, 2025): The Trump administration claims that there are 55 million people on visas in the US; according to the Census Bureau the correct figure is 22 million.
SOME BACKGROUND
Trump’s Quest for a Scary Prison (Nick Miroff, The Atlantic, September 4, 2025): In his second term, President Donald Trump has searched far and wide for a fearsome prison to call his own. The maximum-security penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana, is the latest entry in Trump’s casting call.
The Mask is Off (Tom Stevenson, London Review of Books, September 2025): Deep reporting on Nayib Bukele’s El Salvador.
ACTION ITEMS
Tell Governor DeWine to recall the National Guard troops he has sent to Washington DD where they are intended to intimidate and instill fear, particularly in the immigrant community. For states that have not already sent National Guard troops, tell your governors not to send them. The National Immigration Law Center has prepared this letter awaiting your signature.
ICE believes it’s above the law. Demand Congress hold the agency accountable. Sign the petition to demand that Congress conduct oversight of ICE sponsored by the National Immigration Law Center here.
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!
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]