Statement for the Record by the ACLU, IDP, IJN, ILRC, NIJC and NIP on the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration for the May 23, 2018 Hearing Titled "TVPRA and Exploited Loopholes Affecting Unaccompanied Alien Children": In this statement for the record, the ILRC, along with our partners discuss the dehumanizing and cruel responses by the Trump Administration and immigration hardliners to children seeking safety in the United States.
Deportation by Any Means Necessary: How Immigration Officials Are Labeling Immigrant Youth as Gang Members: This report details findings from a national survey of legal practitioners concerning the increased use of gang allegations against young immigrants as a means of driving up deportation numbers, at the encouragement of the Trump administration. The report suggests emerging best practices for immigration attorneys to employ in both fighting against unfounded gang allegations and working to mitigate the impact of prior gang involvement.
Countering Trump's Nativist Narrative About Immigrant Youth: This document, co-authored by the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), offers counter-narratives to the messages about immigrant youth of color promoted by the Trump Administration.
The Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act: A Distraction from Real Solutions to Address Gang Violence in the U.S.: This one page resource, created in partnership with the Campaign for Youth Justice, discusses how Congressional proposals to address gang violence wrongly focus on gang suppression tactics and incorrectly conflate policies related to unaccompanied minors with gang violence.
Meaningfully Addressing Gang Violence: This resource analyzes congressional proposals on gangs, discusses how gang affiliation impacts immigration enforcement, and discusses solutions and examples.
Understanding Allegations of Gang Membership/Affiliation in Immigration Cases: The purpose of this advisory is to help immigration advocates better understand how law enforcement in the United States documents and alleges gang membership or association, such that advocates are able to identify red flags in cases, and are better prepared to work with clients to assess possible risks in filing for relief.
The School to Prison to Deportation Pipeline: This resource explains how an incident at school can result in a youth facing deportation, and encourages schools to review their disciplinary polices to ensure they are not sending students to ICE.
Testimony for the Record Immigrant Legal Resource Center Senate Judiciary Hearing “The MS-13 Problem: Investigating Gang Membership, Its Nexus to Illegal Immigration, and Federal Efforts to End the Threat”: Senate Judiciary Hearing testimony on the June 2017 hearing “The MS-13 Problem: Investigating Gang Membership, its Nexus to Illegal Immigration, and Federal Efforts to End the Threat.”
Vote No on Heller 1954 Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act: This is a two-pager on the provision that is being raised as legislative language that Republicans in Congress continue to put forward in negotiations about immigration reform.