This week in immigration news – March 9, 2022

‘Constantly afraid’: immigrants on life under the US government’s eye 

While the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) run by BI—a private contractor owned by the for-profit prison company Geo Group—for ICE is routinely billed as a “humane” alternative to immigrant detention, immigrants who are in the program describe the ankle monitors they’re fitted with as being painful, causing bleeding, burns, and even electric shocks. Immigrants also describe being accused of trying to tamper with the device when they experience technical difficulties getting the monitor to link with its app or by their case workers. 

Federal appeals court limits Biden administration’s use of Trump-era border policy 

While the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is allowing the Biden administration to continue expelling migrants through Title 42—instituted by the Trump administration during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020—the court added the caveat that these deportations cannot occur to countries where migrants are going to be persecuted or tortured if they return.  

Immigration advocates see urgency in Biden’s speech to pass comprehensive reform 

During his State of the Union address, President Biden took the time to call for immigration reform. Carlos Guevara, Director of Immigration Policy at UnidosUS, found the urgency from President Biden to be welcome, but with the midterms on the horizon, said that executive action may be necessary to accomplish true reform.