Us Immigration Law

Columbia student arrested after ICE claims was seeking 'missing person'

A Columbia University student was arrested early Thursday by federal immigration agents who gained entry to a campus residence by claiming they were searching for a "missing person," according to her attorneys and the school's president. The student, Ellie Aghayeva, is a senior from Azerbaijan who is studying neuroscience and political science, her lawyers said. A self-described content creator, she frequently shares inspirational stories and tips about navigating college as an immigrant to her sizable social media audience. At around 7:00 am on Thursday morning, Aghayeva posted a message to her more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. "DHS illegally arrested me. Please help," she wrote, referring to the Department of Homeland Security. A photo accompanying the post appeared to show the backseat of a vehicle. In an emergency petition filed Thursday, attorneys for Aghayeva said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement entered her university-owned apartment in Manhattan early Thursday, .

IRS broke law 42,695 times by disclosing confidential info to ICE: Judge

A federal judge said Thursday that the IRS broke the law by disclosing confidential taxpayer information "approximately 42,695 times" to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly found that the IRS had erroneously shared the taxpayer information of thousands of people with the Department of Homeland Security as part of the agencies' controversial agreement to share information on immigrants for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the US. Her finding was based off a declaration filed earlier this month by Dottie Romo, IRS' chief risk and control officer, which revealed that the IRS had provided DHS with information on 47,000 of the 1.28 million people that ICE requested - and, in most of those cases, gave ICE additional address information in violation of privacy rules created to protect taxpayer data. Kollar-Kotelly said in her Thursday decision that the agency violated IRS Code 6103, one of the strictest confidentiality .

ICE operation caused multi-vehicle crash with injuries: Newark mayor

A car chase involving federal immigration enforcement officers led to a muti-vehicle crash in Newark, New Jersey, city officials said. Mayor Ras Baraka said on social media on Wednesday that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to pull over a van in the state's largest city when the driver fled. He said the ICE agents gave chase, resulting in an accident involving several vehicles, including one carrying three children. Baraka said the driver of the van was injured and taken to the hospital. It was not immediately clear the extent of the driver's injuries or why the person was being pursued by ICE. Baraka said Newark police were not involved with ICE's investigation and only responded to the crash. Spokespersons for Baraka, Newark police, the US Department of Homeland Security and ICE didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment. But the Democratic mayor, in his statement on X, criticized ICE's actions as reckless and dangerous. He noted that New Jersey

IRS can share immigrants' taxpayer data with ICE, says US appeals court

A Washington, DC, federal court on Tuesday rejected a request from an immigrant rights group to temporarily block the IRS from sharing certain taxpayer data that could make it easier to identify and deport people who are in the US illegally. A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit declined to issue a preliminary injunction for the immigrants' rights group, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, and other nonprofits that are suing the federal government over the data-sharing agreement signed last April by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The agreement allows US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the US illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records. In declining the preliminary injunction request, Judge Harry T Edwards wrote that the nonprofit groups "are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim," since the information the agencies are sharing .

Amid backlash, US defends deporting infant with bronchitis to Mexico

Deportation of an infant with bronchitis to Mexico has sparked a fierce debate over the medical safety and ethics of US immigration enforcement.

US govt shutdown drags on as lawmakers deadlock over DHS oversight

Lawmakers and the White House offered no signs of compromise Sunday in their battle over oversight of federal immigration officers that has led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump's team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September. Democrats are demanding changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of US citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis last month. Congress is on recess until Feb. 23, and both sides appear dug into their positions. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Coast Guard, the Secret Service, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and US Customs and Border Protection. The work at ICE and CBP goes on unabated because Trump's tax and spending cut law from 20

Only 'small' security force to stay in Minnesota, says Trump's border czar

White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota's Twin Cities area and hundreds more will depart in the days ahead as part of the Trump administration's drawdown of its immigration enforcement surge. A "small" security force will stay for a short period to protect remaining immigration agents and will respond "when our agents are out and they get surrounded by agitators and things got out of control," Homan told CBS' "Face the Nation." He did not define "small". He also said agents will keep investigating fraud allegations as well as the anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a church service. "We already removed well over 1,000 people, and as of Monday, Tuesday, we'll remove several hundred more," Homan said. "We'll get back to the original footprint." Thousands of officers were sent to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's "Operation Metro Surge." The ...

US spent $35 mn to deport 300 migrants to third-party nations: Report

Immigration groups that have challenged the practice in court have said the practice has wide-ranging effects on law-abiding non-citizens who are at risk of being sent to unfamiliar countries

ICE chief backs officers' actions before Congress after 2 protesters' death

Todd Lyons, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended his agency's officers before Congress on Tuesday, standing behind their tactics and saying they would not be intimidated as they carry out the president's mass deportation plans. Lyons was one of the three heads of agencies implementing President Donald Trump's immigration agenda to testify in a hearing called after the shooting deaths of two Americans at the hands of federal officers. They faced fierce questioning from Democrats, and support from most Republicans, over how they are prosecuting immigration enforcement inside American cities. "Let me send a message to anyone who thinks they can intimidate us. You will fail," said Lyons, who blamed elected officials and protesters for escalating rhetoric that he said endangered his officers. Lyons, who at various points declined to comment directly on the killings of the two US citizens, said his officers would not be deterred. "We are only getting started,"

Appeals court affirms Trump policy of jailing immigrants without bond

President Donald Trump's administration can continue to detain immigrants without bond, marking a major legal victory for the federal immigration agenda and countering a slew of recent lower court decisions across the country that argued the practice is illegal. A panel of judges on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday evening that the Department of Homeland Security's decision to deny bond hearings to immigrants arrested across the country is consistent with the constitution and federal immigration law. Specifically, circuit judge Edith H Jones wrote in the 2-1 majority opinion that the government correctly interpreted the Immigration and Nationality Act by asserting that "unadmitted aliens apprehended anywhere in the United States are ineligible for release on bond, regardless of how long they have resided inside the United States." Under past administrations, most non-citizens with no criminal record who were arrested away from the border had an opportunity to request

'No one should feel unsafe': Tim Cook flags immigration fear at Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook says he is 'deeply distraught' over US immigration policy and vows to lobby lawmakers, while reassuring staff, including visa and DACA workers

DHS shutdown risk rises as Republicans rebuffs Democrats demands on ICE

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are "unrealistic" and warned that the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House. Democrats say they will not vote for a DHS spending bill when funding runs out unless there are changes at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies in the wake of the fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis last month. The Democratic leaders, SenChuck Schumer and Rep Hakeem Jeffries, released an expanded list of 10 detailed proposals on Wednesday night for restraining President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign of immigration enforcement. Among the demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use of force standards and a stop to racial profiling. Thune, R-S.D., said most of the demands are "very unrealistic

US immigration agents can't arrest without warrant: Federal judge warns ICE

A federal court ruling curbs immigration arrests without warrants, raising fresh questions over due process and ICE powers under the Trump administration

Federal agents must limit tear gas use at Portland ICE protests, says judge

Federal officers are temporarily restricted from using tear gas at protests outside a Portland immigration building, a judge in Oregon ruled on Tuesday, days after agents fired gas into a crowd of demonstrators that local officials described as peaceful and which included young children. US District Judge Michael Simon ordered federal officers to not use chemical or projectile munitions unless the person targeted poses an imminent threat of physical harm. Simon also limited federal officers from firing munitions at the head, neck or torso "unless the officer is legally justified in using deadly force against that person." Simon, whose temporary restraining order is in effect for 14 days, wrote that the nation "is now at a crossroads." "In a well-functioning constitutional democratic republic, free speech, courageous news gathering, and non-violent protest are all permitted, respected, and even celebrated," he wrote. "In helping our nation find its constitutional compass, an impartia

US Coast Guard suspends search for missing crew of boat near Massachusetts

The search for survivors on a commercial fishing vessel that sank off the coast of Massachusetts with seven aboard has been suspended, the US Coast Guard said Saturday. The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue mission early Friday after receiving an alert from the 72-foot Lily Jean about 25 miles off Cape Ann. Searchers found a debris field near where the alert was sent along with a body in the water and an empty life raft, the Coast Guard said. Crews covered about 1,000 square miles (2,589 square kilometers) using multiple aircraft, cutters and small boats over a 24-hour period. However, after consultation between search and rescue mission coordinators and on-scene commanders, the Coast Guard announced Saturday that it had determined that all reasonable search efforts for the missing crewmembers had been exhausted. Officials said there wasn't a mayday call from Lily Jean as it navigated the frigid Atlantic Ocean on its way home to Gloucester, Massachusetts, America's oldest ...

Journalist Don Lemon charged with civil rights crimes in anti-ICE protest

The United Nations chief is warning that the world body faces "imminent financial collapse" unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues - a message likely directed at the United States and the billions it owes. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to all UN member nations obtained Friday by The Associated Press that cash for its regular operating budget could run out by July, which could dramatically affect its operations. "Either all member states honor their obligations to pay in full and on time - or member states must fundamentally overhaul our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse," he said. While Guterres didn't name any country in the letter, which was reported earlier by Reuters, the financial crisis comes as the US, traditionally the largest donor, has not paid its mandatory dues to the United Nations. The US now owes USD 2.196 billion to the UN's regular budget, plus it will owe USD 767 million for

Trump admin plans to dial back ICE agents in Minnesota after protests

Tom Homan, Trump's 'border czar,' said that officials from Customs and Border Protection and ICE are working on a 'draw down plan' that hinges on cooperation from local, state and federal officials

US appeals court blocks limits on ICE tactics against Minnesota protesters

A lawsuit filed in December alleged that federal officers violated the constitutional rights of six protesters, including boxing in a civilian's car and pointing a rifle inside

'Don't stoke violence': Trump targets Guv Walz over immigration enforcement

The US president accused Democratic governors and mayors of fuelling violence by resisting immigration enforcement, after a fatal ICE shooting sparked protests in Minneapolis

Federal agents shot another person in Minneapolis amid immigration drive

Federal officers have shot another person in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, Gov Tim Walz said Saturday. Walz, a Democrat, said in a social media post that he had been in contact with the White House after the shooting. He called on the President Donald Trump to end the crackdown in his state. The details surrounding the shooting weren't immediately clear. On Friday, thousands of demonstrators protesting the crackdown on immigrants crowded the city's streets in frigid weather, calling for federal law enforcement to leave. Protesters have gathered daily in the Twin Cities since Jan. 7, when 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Federal law enforcement officers have repeatedly squared off with community members and activists who track their movements.