Management

Biden Signs Order Aimed at Reuniting Migrant Families Separated at the Border under the Trump Administration

As part of his promise to reform the immigration system, the president issued three executive orders that review and further roll back his predecessor’s policies.

Management

Lawmakers Urge Attorney General Nominee to Restore Immigration Judges Union

The National Association of Immigration Judges was decertified as a union by the Trump administration last year following a controversial decision by the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

Management

GovExec Daily: How Will Alejandro Mayorkas Lead DHS?

Eric Katz joins the podcast to discuss President Joe Biden's pick for the Homeland Security Department.

Management

Biden Pauses Construction on the Border Wall

The president also ordered a review of all funding and contracts. 

Defense

Biden Administration Pauses Deportations for 100 Days and Suspends 'Remain in Mexico' Policy for Asylum Seekers

The changes come on President Joe Biden’s first day in office where he earlier signed multiple executive orders rolling back additional Trump-era immigration policies.

Management

In His First Public Appearance Since Capitol Riot, Trump Visits Texas Border to Tout Wall Construction

President Trump on Tuesday visited the Rio Grande Valley in what's likely his last Texas appearance as commander-in-chief.

Management

Donald Trump Visiting Texas' Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday as His Administration Rushes to Award More Border Wall Contracts

The president's visit comes a week after Department of Homeland Security officials touted the “historic” completion of 450 miles of border fencing during his administration.

Management

Donald Trump Pardons Former Border Patrol Agent Gary Brugman, Who Was Convicted of Violating a Man’s Civil Rights

Brugman’s case drew national attention among conservative figures who hailed him for working to secure the U.S. border.

Oversight

Judge Orders Trump Administration to Stop Immediate Deportations of Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors

The practice started in March as a way to contain the spread of COVID-19. At least 13,000 unaccompanied children had been removed from the country under the order, the ACLU said in a statement.

Management

FLRA Overturns Its Own Regional Director, Busts Immigration Judges’ Union

The lone Democrat on the board of the agency tasked with administering federal labor law accused his colleagues of “sophistry” and “facetious” reasoning to strip more than 450 federal employees of their collective bargaining rights.

Management

House Committee to Subpoena Records on Discipline Related to Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group

Rep. Carolyn Maloney says Customs and Border Protection won’t turn over records identifying agents disciplined or fired for their offensive posts

Oversight

U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Cases on Border Wall Funding, 'Remain in Mexico' Policy

The Migrant Protection Protocols program has been criticized for sending thousands of vulnerable asylum seekers to Mexican border states that have seen sustained violence.

Defense

Border Apprehensions Down Sharply in 2020 but Spiked in September

Apprehensions of unaccompanied children dropped by as much as 70% in Border Patrol sectors along the Texas-Mexico border this fiscal year.

Oversight

President Trump Can’t Use $3.6 Billion in Military Funds for Border Wall Construction, Federal Court Rules

The 2-1 decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes as $3.6 billion was slated for construction of about a dozen projects, including two projects in the Laredo and El Paso areas.

Management

ICE Deported a Woman Who Accused Guards of Sexual Assault While the Feds Were Still Investigating the Incident

The DHS and DOJ inspectors general are investigating allegations that ICE guards assaulted detainees in camera blind spots. DHS instructed ICE not to deport a key witness, then suddenly decided to allow it.

Oversight

New Engineering Report Finds Privately Built Border Wall Will Fail

The report, set to be filed in federal court this week, confirms reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that found portions of the wall were in danger of overturning if not fixed due to extensive erosion just months after it was built.

Workforce

Immigration Services Agency Cancels Furloughs for 13,000 Employees

Agency expects major operational impacts and says furloughs still possible in the future.

Management

This Rural Town Swelled With Immigrants. But Will Census Count Them?

The 2020 census was supposed to show this rural town what it is now. Then came COVID-19.

Management

ICE Guards 'Systematically' Sexually Assault Detainees in an El Paso Detention Center, Lawyers Say

Allegations include guards attacking victims in camera “blind spots” and telling them that “no one would believe” them in ICE detention centers, which imprison about 50,000 immigrants each year at a taxpayer expense of $2.7 billion.