News & Commentary

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rolled out a new immigration enforcement program this month that it bills as an improved approach to using city and county police and jails for immigration enforcement.

The news on Mother’s Day left her elated: she was pregnant with her first child. But Monserrat Ruiz Cuevas’ celebration was short lived.When she learned she was pregnant, she was in custody at the Mesa Verde Detention Center, an immigration facility in Bakersfield operated by GEO Group, Inc. Within days Monserrat became ill and was taken to a hospital for urgent medical care.

By Mitra Ebadolahi

Shortly after Sam arrived in this country, seeking asylum to escape threats to his life in India, he was robbed, beaten and left unconscious on the side of the road. He suffered severe head trauma, including a fracture and a concussion. He immediately reported the crime, and a Kern County Sheriff’s deputy visited him in the hospital. He answered the deputy’s questions and cooperated fully. Although Sam met the legal requirements for a U-visa certification, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood refused his request. That certification is needed to apply for a U-visa from the federal government.

By Zara Lockshin

By Joanne Lin, @JoanneLinDC

By Diego Rojas

Today, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles are appearing before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to enforce the rights of U.S. citizen Naji Hamdan, a Muslim-American man from Southern California, to find out whether the U.S. government was involved in the torture that he experienced in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.).

This month, the Obama administration was expected to launch a program that would have extended temporary relief from deportation to thousands of parents of U.S. citizens and green card holders.That program, known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), is now on hold after a federal judge in Texas blocked the government from taking applications. The government is appealing that ruling but it is unclear what comes next.