May 2025

In a legislative session marked by political division and increasingly polarized rhetoric, the Texas Dream Act endured. The win affirms that all Texas high school graduates—regardless of immigration status—will continue to have access to higher education. Despite nine separate bills filed to repeal this landmark 2001 law—including HB 232 and SB 1798—not a single one […]

Written by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Senior Fellow; and Adriel Orozco, Senior Policy Counsel As the Trump administration continued to ramp up immigration enforcement measures across the United States last week, new “red flags” emerged; policy measures that dramatically impact the basic rights of immigrants in this country or that erode basic legal protections and good governance.

On May 12, 2025, a federal district court allowed an unprecedented information-sharing agreement between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to take effect. This marks the first time the IRS has formally agreed to provide taxpayer information to ICE under a memorandum of understanding. This development comes at a

In a tense exchange during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if she could define “habeas corpus.” “Habeas corpus” is the constitutional right that ensures that people have a chance to challenge their imprisonment in front of a judge. Habeas corpus ensures that the government cannot

Here are the messages that the 350,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. who were granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023 have heard from the federal government since January: January 17: You can keep your TPS protections until fall 2026. January 28: We’re reviewing whether you can keep your TPS protections. February 5: Your TPS protections will

On April 30, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the updated 2024 inventory of unclassified and non-sensitive AI use cases within the department. The public data revealed something powerful: artificial intelligence isn’t just a future possibility in immigration enforcement—it’s already here. In fact, the inventory listed 105 active DHS AI use cases deployed by

“And I think it is healing behavior, to look at something so broken and see the possibility and wholeness in it.”  — adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy The Texas Dream Act was signed into law in 2001, years before I ever walked across the stage at my high school graduation in 2014. I was five,

The Trump administration’s highly visible immigration enforcement efforts are impacting immigrants across the country – be it through the arrest and detention of immigrants or through the chilling effects these operations have on immigrant communities. While the federal government’s rhetoric and actions are rightfully at the forefront of immigrants’ minds, state government can also play

By: Jojo Tompkins, State and Local Policy Fellow State legislatures are advancing policies that directly impact immigrant communities — creating new rules, expanding enforcement, and offering critical protections. At the start of the 2025 legislative session, the American Immigration Council shared how states could pass policies to protect their immigrant communities. Now, as the 2025

By Laila Khan & Lauren Harper  On March 15, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) against members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA). The AEA is a 236-year old wartime authority that allows the President to detain and deport citizens of a foreign nation that is at war