News on ICE Warehouses & Related Topics:

Aug 17: The Chief Economist at Moody’s, Mark Zandy, blamed the administration’s immigration policies for the high unemployment rate among American workers.

Aug 17: Forbes reported that the implementation of widespread restrictions on legal immigration is expected to reduce legal immigration by 33 to 50% by the end of the current administration. The expected harm to the economy is a potential loss of 19M workers by 2028 and a $1.9T reduction in goods and services. These policy changes sponsored by Stephen Miller will affect US citizens sponsoring family, employers, and various categories of visas.  

Aug 18: ICE is proposing to subsidize liability insurance for state and local officers who enforce federal immigration laws under 287(g) agreements. This has been a hurdle that made some agencies think twice before signing up with ICE. Under the scheme, officers would buy personal liability insurance coverage up to $500,000 and then be reimbursed for up to $250. The $250 is the expected cost of the insurance.

Aug 18: National NoCCUS ICE reports reveal several interesting purchases. ICE bought 20 ARMORED ROSHEL SENATOR vehicles for $7.3M. Since the activity was a closeout, it is likely these are already on America’s streets. ICE is buying tasers for $5.8M. But probably most consequential is the addition of $3M for guard services at Gitmo for Akima. This indicates they are getting ready to activate this hub which will likely eventually include Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. ICE is also investing in AI contracts for workflow/decision making.  

Aug 18: Although Mexico is willing to accept the return of all its citizens, the US is deporting Mexicans to Honduras and Guatemala. The move apparently is an attempt by the administration to deter immigration from Mexico by sending people farther away from the US-Mexican border. It also is intended to send a broader message of deterrence to all Mexicans.

Aug 18: A federal appeals court upheld a block on immigration arrests at houses of worship for Quakers, Cooperative Baptists, and Sikhs. The ruling from the 4^th Circuit found the DHS policy substantially burdened the free exercise of religion.

Aug 19: Liberia agreed to accept 1200 foreign deportees from the US. The first flight into Liberia was scheduled for Aug. 20^th  and included 20 people.

Aug 19: The Attorney General of Colorado sued the GEO Group to force the release of information on a tuberculosis outbreak at the Aurora ICE facility. This is an escalation of an ongoing battle between the Geo Group and local health authorities.

Aug 19: ActivistsinWalsenburg CO continue to call on people to write letters to the editor of the World Journal to support a ballot initiative that would stop the opening of an ICE detention facility in their town. Home – The World Journal   (send to: Worldjournal@gmail.com)

Aug 19: Time reported that gate agents are seeing ICE showing up at gates in CO, TX, and AZ. Without consistent or clear guidance on how to handle these situations, agents are left on their own to decide how to handle things. The increased presence of ICE at airports comes at a time when ICE is trying to meet the 2000 a day arrest goal set by the White House.

Aug 19: Court documents filed by DHS in July confirm that the Salt Lake City ICE warehouse will not move forward. The facility will be designated as excess property and transferred to GSA for disposition.

Aug 19: The Immigration Response Playbook was launched this week (see link below). The playbook is a collaboration between Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services and the American Immigration Council to document policies, legal frameworks, and other resources by local and state governments in response to federal immigration enforcement. The playbook is searchable and filterable by category.

Aug 20: NPR reported that the grievance system within the immigration detention system has all but collapsed. That system is supposed to offer a safe way to report violations of standards and seek redress without the fear of retaliation. Detainees can file complaints through this system. NPR found it barely functions and sometimes even backfires. Failure to adhere to grievance guidelines and an overall lack of accountability is why critics say more detainees are protesting the inhumane conditions inside detention. This is why we are seeing widespread hunger strikes.

Aug 21: A town hall forum was hosted in Appleton MN to answer questions and concerns over the impending opening of an ICE detention facility. DHS bought the facility from Core-Civic on Aug 5^th. The town faces a 30% loss to its tax base. A spokesperson for CoreCivic said that the facility would create 528 jobs. Weekly protests of the ICE facility are ongoing.

LINKS:

Home – Immigration Response Playbook