Immigration News and Updates

Washington, DC — Most Americans feel safe and comfortable in their communities, but only about one in four believe they have any real influence over how those communities are run, according to a new national study released today. 

The Center for Inclusion & Belonging at the American Immigration Council has fielded a second national wave of The Belonging Barometer, this time focusing on belonging at the local level. The study offers a nuanced and actionable picture of Americans’ sense of community belonging and shows there is great opportunity to build belonging by investing at the local level. 

Belonging means feeling emotionally connected to others, safe to be yourself, and able to help shape the communities where you live, work, and participate. The findings reveal that local belonging comprises more than simply feeling connected. While many Americans feel accepted in their communities, far fewer feel able to influence local decisions or help shape their community. This gap is especially pronounced among Americans 65 and older, who report the highest level of belonging (48%) compared to younger adults ages 18-29 (34%). 

Key findings of The Belonging Barometer: Understanding Belonging Where It Is Lived include:

• 61% of Americans either do not have a clear sense of community belonging or feel excluded. A relatively low percentage (14%) of Americans report actually feeling excluded. Instead, the majority (47%) of Americans live in a state of ambiguity, uncertain about their place in their community, providing an opportunity for significant improvement through local action.
• Local media matters. People who watch or follow local news at least weekly are significantly more likely to feel a strong sense of local belonging. National news consumption shows no such relationship.
• Financial stability is linked to an increased sense of belonging. As Americans’ incomes increase, so does their sense of local belonging. Just 34% of Americans earning less than $50,000 annually report feeling a sense of belonging in their local community, compared with 47% of those earning more than $100,000.
• People feel safe in their communities, but not powerful. Respondents report feeling comfortable being themselves locally and speaking up, but only about one‑quarter (24%) of study participants feel able to influence local decision‑making or understand how their community works.
• Local belonging is not defined by geography or politics. Research shows that belonging is not significantly affected by whether one lives in a small town or an urban environment, or by one’s political party affiliation. Belonging is attainable everywhere, not limited to certain places or groups.

“Belonging has become one of the defining social issues of our time. As communities grapple with rising loneliness, declining trust, and increasing polarization, researchers and public health leaders are recognizing that belonging is a measurable condition that influences health, civic participation and community resilience,” said Emily Baird-Chrisohon, Program Manager, Center for Inclusion & Belonging.

“These findings point to clear opportunities for cities, nonprofits, funders, and local institutions to strengthen belonging by listening to what people are experiencing and creating more ways for people to participate in civic life. People don’t need perfect communities – they need to feel invited, be seen and have a real say in what’s happening.” 

This study builds on past research revealing a consistent pattern: Americans report feeling less belonging in their local communities than in nearly every other area of life. The study takes a deeper look at local belonging to better understand what shapes people’s sense of connection, where these gaps persist, and what communities can do to foster stronger, more inclusive places where everyone feels they belong. The full research brief is available at: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/report/belonging-barometer-2026/.

How Communities Can Take Action

The Belonging Barometer is the first tool of its kind to measure the quality of a person’s “fit” within a group or setting. It’s a simple, research-based set of ten questions that assesses three essential dimensions: emotional connection, psychological safety, and community influence.

The Barometer is freely available to help communities gather insights that drive action. Cities, nonprofits, funders, employers, schools, and other institutions can use the Belonging Barometer to understand whether their own communities or organizations feel connected, safe, and able to contribute, as well as guide investments and track progress over time. To learn more about the Belonging Barometer and how communities and organizations can begin measuring and strengthening belonging, visit https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/report/the-belonging-barometer/ 

Study Methodology

Research was executed by SSRS. The study is a general population survey conducted during three waves of the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus platform. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a national, twice-per-month, probability-based survey of 3,000+ respondents. To complement the survey findings, SSRS conducted 16 in-depth interviews with panelists who had participated in one of the three survey waves.

The Belonging Barometer tool, a ten-question survey introduced in the 2023 report, “The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America,” was used again here alongside new survey and interview data. The original report was authored by Over Zero and the American Immigration Council’s Center for Inclusion and Belonging.

This study was made possible through funding by the Walmart Foundation. The findings, conclusions and recommendations presented in this research brief are those of the American Immigration Council’s alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Walmart Foundation.

About the Center for Inclusion & Belonging

The Center for Inclusion & Belonging at the American Immigration Council is dedicated to changing the conversation around immigration and building a more welcoming nation. Through research, narrative strategy, and cross-sector partnerships, the Center works to foster a culture of belonging where all people—regardless of background—can thrive, connect, and fully contribute to their communities.

Media Contact:
Anjulee Alvares-Cinque
Center for Inclusion & Belonging at the American Immigration Council 
aacinque@immcouncil.org 

The post National Study: Only 1 in 4 Americans Believe They Can Influence Outcomes In Their Local Community appeared first on American Immigration Council.

For decades, community revitalization has been measured by what we can easily count: number of new businesses, jobs created, building rehabilitations, affordable housing units, and dollars invested. Those metrics matter, but they don’t show the full picture.

The Washington State Main Street Program wanted to answer a different question: Do people actually feel like they belong in their downtowns? To find out, the organization turned to the Belonging Barometer.

The Washington State Main Street Program supports approximately 80 downtown organizations across the state, helping communities preserve historic places while creating vibrant, economically thriving downtowns. For years, program leaders knew their work created social value, bringing neighbors together, creating welcoming gathering spaces, and fostering community pride, but they struggled to measure those outcomes.

“We’ve always known about the social impact of our work,” said Lydia Felty of the Washington State Main Street Program. “But articulating that social return on investment has been elusive.”

For years, success was measured through tangible outcomes: buildings rehabilitated, new businesses opened, and jobs created.  

Those metrics captured economic impact, but they couldn’t answer equally important questions: Do residents feel connected to their community? Do they feel welcome in downtown spaces? Do they believe they can help shape their community’s future?

“We kept asking ourselves, ‘How do you know if an event achieved something beyond bringing people downtown or increasing sales for local businesses?’ Those metrics are important—but they don’t tell the full story,” says Felty.

After being introduced to the Belonging Barometer by a longtime colleague, the team immediately saw its potential and worked to put it into action.

“The Belonging Barometer provides such a clear framework for how to approach this work with a very clear ‘why,'” Felty said. “It’s difficult work, but the framework makes it accessible.”

Just as importantly, the survey was designed to be replicated and adapted for different settings.

Instead of measuring belonging broadly, Washington Main Street customized the survey to focus specifically on residents’ experiences in their downtown communities. Questions explored whether people felt emotionally connected to their downtown, welcomed by others, and able to influence decisions affecting their community.

“The survey felt incredibly adaptable,” Felty said. “If it can work nationally, locally, in workplaces, schools, and communities, surely we can apply it to our own situation.”

Rather than launching statewide, the Washington State Main Street Program began with a manageable pilot. In fall 2024, four communities participated in the first cohort. The goal was to establish a baseline and understand what using the Belonging Barometer could look like in a Main Street context. Alongside the survey, the team added historical research, site visits, and community interviews to better understand each downtown’s unique story and context.

Because belonging is deeply connected to place, they wanted the data to reflect more than survey scores alone.

“We leaned into the idea of place-based belonging,” Felty said. “What does it actually mean for people to feel like they belong in this specific downtown?”

Some of the most meaningful insights came from people’s stories. One participant described attending a sensory-friendly downtown parade with a grandchild who has autism. For that family, the event was evidence that the downtown had intentionally created an accessible space and experience where they felt welcome.

“That really stood out,” Felty said. “It was one of those moments where someone could genuinely say, ‘We belong here.'”

Stories like these helped reinforce something many community leaders already suspected: intentional programming can meaningfully shape whether people feel included.

The pilot confirmed one of the team’s initial hypotheses: people who were engaged with their local Main Street organizations generally reported a stronger sense of belonging. While the team recognizes it’s too early to draw broad causal conclusions, the findings provided important cues and a starting point.

More importantly, the process itself began changing conversations. Community partners and local organizations used the findings to rethink existing programs, asking who might still feel left out, how volunteers could feel more connected, and what small changes could make events even more welcoming.

“Even if the data doesn’t immediately tell you to do X, Y, or Z, having belonging in the collective consciousness changes the way people think,” Felty said. “It encourages organizations to make small adjustments and be more intentional about integrating resources that help people feel more connected.”

For Felty, one of the greatest strengths of the Belonging Barometer is that it helps organizations measure something many have long believed was important but couldn’t quantify.

“So often we’re measuring dollars, jobs, spending, or attendance,” she said. “Those are all important, but they only tell one part of the story.”

“Being able to measure belonging—being able to measure social impact—means we’re better able to create communities where people genuinely feel connected to each other and to the places they live. That’s the heart of the work.”

Following the success of the pilot, the Washington State Main Street Program is expanding to a second cohort of communities while continuing to learn alongside others using the Belonging Barometer. Felty encourages organizations not to wait until they have a perfect plan.

“The blueprint is already there,” she said. “You can pick it up, adapt it to your own context, and start learning.” 

The Belonging Barometer offers organizations a practical starting point and a growing community of practitioners eager to share what they’re discovering. Because while every community looks different, the question is the same:

Do people feel like they belong here?

The first step toward answering that question is simply asking it.

Ready to get started?

Download the free Belonging Barometer Quick Start Guide and survey questions to begin measuring belonging in your community.

The post Measuring What Matters: How Washington Main Street Is Using the Belonging Barometer to Strengthen Downtown Communities appeared first on American Immigration Council.

When Val Rodriguez founded Empowering Families in western Nebraska, she already knew her organization was making a difference. They were helping immigrant families, developing young leaders, building bridges across cultures, and increasing civic participation. What she couldn’t answer was a deceptively simple question: How do we measure whether people actually feel they belong? That question led her to the Belonging Barometer.

Originally, Rodriguez discovered the Belonging Barometer while completing graduate research on how changing demographics were shaping community life. What appealed to her was its simple, no-frills approach: print the survey, make a few thoughtful adaptations to fit the local community, and start listening. She tailored a handful of questions to better reflect her county and then administered the 10-question survey, collecting responses from 369 residents through churches, community events, a soup kitchen, email, text messages, and wherever people already gathered. It wasn’t a complicated or highly technical process, but it gave her the insights needed to get started. The results surprised her.

While many residents reported feeling connected to people and places they knew well, such as their church, neighborhood, or close circle of friends, they were far less likely to feel connected to the broader community or to believe they could influence the institutions shaping their lives. Trust in local systems was low, and many described an “us versus them” dynamic across the community. These findings were not specific to one racial or ethnic group, or based on immigration status. Community members in Scotts Bluff County, including their White counterparts, have a low sense of belonging. Those findings changed everything.

Rather than treating the Belonging Barometer as a one-time survey, Empowering Families began using it as an ongoing management tool. One example is Youth Arise, a seven-week civic leadership program for at-risk high school students. Participants complete belonging assessments before and after the program alongside other leadership measures. In one recent cohort, the percentage of students reporting a strong sense of belonging increased from 61% to 89%.

The organization also uses the Belonging Barometer findings to shape new programming. Conversations with Native American residents revealed that belonging varied dramatically depending on the setting. Participants described feeling connected at the Lakota Lutheran Center but disconnected in other community institutions such as public meetings.  

Perhaps most importantly, implementing the Belonging Barometer prompted Empowering Families to rethink its mission and evolve its purpose. The organization used what it learned to develop new cultural programming, including Lakota language classes and cultural retreats designed to strengthen both belonging and cultural pride. Originally focused on education, civic participation, and empowerment, Empowering Families now explicitly defines its work around building community belonging through education, civic participation, and bridge-building.

The next step is to create a countywide belonging strategy involving healthcare, education, economic development, nonprofits, and local government. The findings from the Belonging Barometer have also helped Empowering Families articulate the need for this work and position it as a fundable community initiative, providing a framework for securing resources to sustain and expand belonging efforts. 

Rodriguez believes the biggest lesson is that organizations don’t need expensive consultants or complex research projects to begin. They need a simple way to listen, learn, and act on what their communities are telling them. “You’re trusted individuals in the community,” she said. “You are the trusted messengers.” For Empowering Families, belonging stopped being an abstract idea. It became something they could measure, improve, and build together.

Ready to get started?

Download the free Belonging Barometer Quick Start Guide and survey questions to begin measuring belonging in your community.

The post How One Rural Nonprofit Turned Belonging Into a Community Strategy appeared first on American Immigration Council.

Washington DC, July 15 – In response to reports of a third death taking place in connection to an ICE enforcement operation in just over a week, American Immigration Council policy director Nayna Gupta issued the following statement: 

“This cannot be dismissed as a series of unrelated tragedies. This is what happens when Congress dumps billions of dollars into mass deportations instead of focusing on what’s actually broken in our immigration system.   

“The fact that ICE reportedly suspended most vehicle stops tells us that some officials recognize the current enforcement tactics are putting people in danger. But temporarily pausing one tactic is not enough. Congress has poured close to a quarter of a trillion dollars into immigration enforcement. ICE and other agencies are funded at the level of some militaries, without any of the accountability or oversight that should come with that power.  

“This is not sustainable. The impacted families and American public deserve answers about the details of these tragic killings, but this is bigger than any one incident or investigation. Congress needs to make overdue, bold changes to our immigration laws to restore credibility and humanity to immigration enforcement in American communities.   

“There is a better way forward. A working immigration system should be guided by four basic principles: first, giving longtime immigrant residents a chance to get right with the law; second, clear and targeted public safety priorities; third, more proportionate consequences for violations of the law rather than deportation for all; and finally greater accountability to rein in abuse by federal agents. Right now, the sole focus is on chasing deportation and detention quotas and that makes violence and tragic deaths inevitable. Mass deportation creates danger, not safety.”  

The American Immigration Council works to create a more welcoming and fair immigration system. Through litigation, research, and programs that expand access to legal assistance, the Council helps ensure immigrants are embraced, communities are enriched, and justice prevails for all. Follow us on BlueSky @immcouncil.org and Instagram @immcouncil.  

The post Deaths During ICE Operations Expose the Dangers of Mass Deportation  appeared first on American Immigration Council.

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 3, 2026 — On July 2, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that people facing immigration detention have the right to meaningful due process protections and must be afforded a bond hearing within 90 days. The decision deals a major blow to the Trump administration’s new mass detention efforts, rejecting the government’s argument that it can detain people without ever having to justify it to a judge. 

At the center of the case are three fathers of U.S. citizen children—all longtime Texas residents with no criminal history—who were arrested following routine traffic stops and detained without any meaningful opportunity to challenge whether that detention was necessary. The American Immigration Council and the National Immigration Project argued before the Fifth Circuit on behalf of these three men, whose cases were consolidated for appeal.

“This case asked a simple question: if the government wants to lock someone up, does it have to show that imprisonment serves a purpose?” said Rebecca Cassler, senior litigation attorney at the American Immigration Council, who argued the case. “Today’s decision reaffirms that constitutional rights do not disappear simply because someone is in immigration proceedings. The government must provide a meaningful opportunity for people to challenge their detention.” 

In its decision, the court held that the Constitution does not allow the government to detain noncitizens for “indefinite and extensive periods of time without an individualized determination.” Noncitizens detained under the government’s recently expanded mandatory detention policy are entitled to a bond hearing within 90 days of their arrest, and at that hearing, the government must provide an individualized justification for continued detention. It cannot simply hold someone because of how they entered the country, no matter what the immigration detention statute says. 

“The Fifth Amendment has protected people living in this country from being imprisoned without justification for well over a century. What it doesn’t do is enforce itself,” said Ellie Norton, Senior Staff Attorney, of the National Immigration Project. “Ignacio, Alejandro, and Miguel are fathers who have lived in Texas for more than a decade. They’re the reason this court had to confront the question of whether the government can detain people like them without any checks and balances. Thousands of people in detention will benefit from what these three men were willing to fight for.” 

The decision will provide crucial due process protections for people held in immigration detention throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, states that collectively hold some of the largest immigration detention populations in the country. The court’s ruling has enormous implications for the thousands of noncitizens the government has detained in these states without any due process. It requires the administration to justify their incarceration and the expenditure of millions of taxpayer dollars on detention of people who have built their lives in and contributed to this country. 

Immigration detention has expanded dramatically under the second Trump administration, while reports of overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and a record number of deaths in custody have continued to mount. Without the chance to go before a judge, people who pose no danger and no flight risk can remain incarcerated for prolonged periods while their immigration cases proceed. The Fifth Circuit’s decision puts an end to this injustice.

Additional context on the ruling:

For any noncitizen held under 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(2)(A) and thus subject to mandatory detention under the Fifth Circuit’s ruling in Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi, 166 F.4th 494, 506 (5th Cir. 2026), “the Government must show” that the individual presents an “identified and articulable threat” or flight risk. Relying on Supreme Court precedent, the court held that individuals detained under this statute must be provided bond hearings within 90 days of their detention, where the government must articulate an “individualized justification” for continued detention. The court made clear that its ruling does not require every single noncitizen subject to mandatory detention in the Fifth Circuit to file an individual habeas petition to get this relief.

Read the ruling here.

More about the lawsuit here.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Elyssa Pachico, epachico@immcouncil.org 

Lilly Gonzalez, media@nipnlg.org 

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The National Immigration Project is a membership organization of attorneys, advocates, and community members who believe that all people should be treated with dignity, live freely, and flourish. We litigate, advocate, educate, and build bridges across movements to ensure that those most impacted by the immigration and criminal systems are uplifted and supported. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow the National Immigration Project on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads at @NIPNLG.

The American Immigration Council works to create a more welcoming and fair immigration system. Through litigation, research, and programs that expand access to legal assistance, the Council helps ensure immigrants are embraced, communities are enriched, and justice prevails for all. Follow us on BlueSky @immcouncil.org and Instagram @immcouncil.   

The post Federal Court Delivers Major Blow to Trump Detention Policy of Jailing Immigrants With No Hearing, No Explanation  appeared first on American Immigration Council.

Washington, D.C. — The Trump Administration’s attempt to politicize the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is unlawful, a federal judge ruled today. 

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia struck down a rule issued by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) that threatened to disqualify certain employers from eligibility for PSLF. 

The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed in November 2025 by Public Citizen Litigation Group and Student Defense on behalf of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, the American Immigration Council, The Door – A Center of Alternatives, Inc., and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

The lawsuit challenged a rule finalized in October 2025 that allowed ED to disqualify an employer from the PSLF program if the Secretary of Education determined that the organization had a “substantial illegal purpose.” Under the rule, ED gave itself the unilateral power to decide whether an organization had such a purpose, based on the organization’s participation in activities that the current administration disapproves of concerning immigration, discrimination, gender-affirming care, and other matters.

As the plaintiffs explained in the motion granted today, the rule violated the state governing the PSLF program and allowed arbitrary enforcement against mission-driven organizations doing work or expressing opinions that the government opposes. The organizations asked the court to declare the new rule unlawful because, among other things, ED lacks the legal authority to change the statutory criteria for PSLF.

“The court’s ruling is a major victory for those who work in the public interest and the communities they serve. People who devote their careers to public service and non-profit work deserve access to loan forgiveness on the terms Congress promised, without the threat of retribution from the Trump administration.” said Cormac Early, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead counsel on the case.

“Today’s decision is a victory for student loan borrowers, for the First Amendment, and for the rule of law,” said Aaron Ament, President of Student Defense. “Public servants should not have to worry that the federal government will punish them because of their employer’s mission or perceived political views. We’re relieved that the court ruled our government must follow through on its promise of loan forgiveness for the millions of teachers, military personnel and other public servants who have dedicated their lives to making our country a better place, regardless of ED’s opinions.”

“The Trump administration’s baseless and blatant attempt to revoke Congressionally appointed benefits wasn’t just a threat to our nonprofit employees,” said Kerry Kennedy, president of the Kennedy Human Rights Center. “It was a threat to everyone we serve, to the women, men, and children who rely on our organization to protect their most fundamental human rights. Today’s decision is an important victory, and an affirmation of what Congress decided almost twenty years ago – public servants should be supported.”

“Today’s decision protects public servants from a rule that would have punished them for simply working to support immigrant families and other underserved communities targeted by this administration. Public Service Loan Forgiveness was created to encourage people to work to help underserved communities and populations. This ruling affirms that the government cannot rewrite the terms of that promise for political reasons,” said Jorge Loweree, Managing Director of Programs and Strategy at the American Immigration Council. 

“Today’s decision is a victory for public service professionals and the communities they serve. Public Service Loan Forgiveness was created to encourage educators, counselors, social workers, attorneys, and other professionals to dedicate their careers to serving others and strengthening their communities. For organizations like The Door, that means being able to attract and retain the talented staff who help young people access opportunity, overcome challenges, and build stable futures. We are grateful that the court upheld that commitment,” said Kelsey Louie, CEO of The Door – A Center of Alternatives, Inc. 

“This ruling is a victory for every public servant who chose to dedicate their career to lifting up their community, and for the Latino families those public servants serve. The Department of Education does not get to rewrite the promise Congress made, and it certainly does not get to punish organizations like ours for the advocacy and civil rights work that is at the heart of our mission,” said Juan Proaño, CEO of the LULAC Institute. 

Read the ruling here.

Read the original complaint here.

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About Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center:

The Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that works across the courtroom, the boardroom, and the classroom to build a more just and peaceful world. Inspired by the legacies of Senator Robert and Ethel Kennedy, we work with international and domestic partners to protect fundamental human rights. We pursue strategic litigation to hold governments accountable at home and around the world; foster a social good approach to business; and train the next generation of changemakers through our human rights education programs.

About the American Immigration Council:

The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration. The Council employs four coordinated approaches to advance change—litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications. Follow the latest Council news and information on LinkedIn, BlueSky, Instagram and YouTube. 

About The Door – A Center of Alternatives, Inc. 

For over 50 years, The Door has been a trusted place for young people between 12 and 24. All are welcome as they are, to be themselves, address challenges, and access services when and how they need them. With roots in the heart of New York City and a presence across the boroughs, The Door offers comprehensive programs and services, including mental health counseling, health and nutrition assistance, legal services, housing support, arts, education, and career guidance. At The Door, everything is free and everyone is welcome. 

The Door’s on-site charter high school, Broome Street Academy, serves 300 students per year from across all five boroughs, with reserved seats for students who are transitionally housed or in foster care.

About The LULAC Institute

The LULAC Institute is the nonprofit arm of The League of United Latin American Citizens Institute (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization. Founded in 1929, LULAC is committed to advancing the rights and opportunities of Latino Americans through advocacy, community building, and education. With a growing network of councils nationwide, LULAC remains steadfast in its mission to protect and empower millions of Latinos, contributing daily to America’s prosperity. For more information about LULAC and its initiatives, please visit www.LULAC.org.

About Public Citizen Litigation Group

Public Citizen Litigation Group is the litigating arm of the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen. For more than 50 years, the Litigation Group has worked to advance the interests of consumers, workers, and the public, and to hold the government and corporations accountable to the people. Read more at www.citizen.org/litigation. 

About Student Defense

The National Student Legal Defense Network (“Student Defense”) is a non-profit organization that works, through litigation and advocacy, to advance students’​ rights to educational opportunity and to ensure that higher education provides a launching point for economic mobility.

The post Court Declares Unlawful the Department of Education’s Rule Restricting Public Service Loan Forgiveness Eligibility appeared first on American Immigration Council.

The Supreme Court ruled today that the Trump administration could turn back asylum seekers at ports of entry along the southern border, and that doing so does not violate federal immigration law. The case, Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, addressed a now-defunct policy, under which immigration officers at official border crossings physically and indefinitely blocked people seeking safety from setting foot on U.S. soil, flouting the government’s legal responsibility to inspect and process those seeking asylum. As Justice Sotomayor explained in a dissent joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, the Court’s decision “blesses the Executive Branch’s decision to slam the door shut on all who are fleeing persecution, despite the detailed inspection and asylum system that Congress enacted and commands.”

This afternoon immigrant rights advocates will gather for a virtual media briefing at 3:00 pm ET/12:00 pm PT to discuss the decision.

“We believe that today’s ruling violates international law, as well as the express intent of Congress, which enshrined the rights and obligations of the Refugee Convention into U.S. federal law over 40 years ago. For decades, the United States has allowed individuals and families who are fleeing persecution, torture, and death to ask for protection at U.S. borders and exercise their legal right to seek asylum,” said Erika Pinheiro, Al Otro Lado’s Executive Director. “This decision has destroyed the United States’ position as a global leader in promoting the rights of refugees and threatens to serve as a dangerous justification for other countries that unlawfully prevent refugees from crossing borders in search of safety. In a world of increasing conflict and climate disaster, this hardening of borders to keep out the most vulnerable is sure to result in many more lives lost.”

The turnback policy, euphemistically dubbed “metering” by government officials, broke with both international and federal asylum law. It denied thousands the right to seek asylum, forcing them to languish in hazardous conditions in Mexico or return to the peril they had fled.

In 2017, Al Otro Lado, a binational organization that provides free legal and humanitarian assistance to migrants, and a group of asylum seekers brought a class action suit challenging the policy, which the courts ruled unlawful in both 2022 and 2024. Although the turnback policy has not been in effect since 2021, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision declaring the policy unlawful. 

“As explained by Justice Sotomayor’s dissent, the Court’s decision to greenlight the government’s turnback policy is an affront to congressional authority over immigration matters with devastating humanitarian consequences,” said Kelsi Corkran, Supreme Court Director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, who argued the case. “The ball is now in Congress’s court to enact legislation correcting the Court’s error and ensuring that arriving asylum seekers are not forced back to violent and life-threatening situations.” 

The ruling effectively overturns immigration laws that, for more than a century, have required government officials to inspect all people presenting themselves at designated ports of entry. And since Congress enacted asylum into U.S. law more than 45 years ago, the port inspection requirement has ensured that the U.S. government does not send vulnerable people back to danger without giving them an opportunity to seek protection.

“This ruling should sound the alarm for anyone who cares about human rights and the rule of law,” said Melissa Crow, Director of Litigation at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS). “The majority opinion in Al Otro Lado suggests the president may unilaterally override decades of established law and trample on people’s legal rights if doing so suits his political agenda. The turnback policy did not merely delay entry for people seeking safety. For far too many asylum seekers, the policy denied entry entirely. In some cases, that became a death sentence. While this decision is a significant blow, our movement will keep fighting to restore asylum as a lifeline for people seeking refuge. We will never turn our backs on those who look to the United States for safety and justice.”

“My heart is with the thousands of desperate and endangered asylum seekers across the U.S.-Mexico border whose rights the U.S. has erased with the stroke of a pen,” said Center for Constitutional Rights Senior Staff Attorney Angelo Guisado.  

“On the 250th anniversary year of the United States, our federal executive branch is abandoning its obligations to asylum seekers fleeing perilous circumstances in fear for their lives and putting thousands of people – including children – in dangerous and dire situations,” said Sarah Rich, Senior Attorney at Democracy Forward. “Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that will put even more people and families in harm’s way. We are disappointed in the Court’s decision and call on all Americans to demand that our government protect the families the Court abandoned today. Congress should act to protect not only the lives of asylum seekers, but also the best of American values.”

“Cruelty is not a substitute for real solutions. Blocking people from seeking asylum at official ports of entry will do nothing to fix our broken immigration system; it only makes things more chaotic and dangerous for vulnerable families. What we need is an asylum system that is fair, efficient, accountable, and treats people with dignity. Unfortunately, today’s decision validates an approach that treats people seeking safety as a problem to shut out instead of creating an orderly system that actually works,” said Rebecca Cassler, senior litigation attorney at the American Immigration Council. 

For more about the case, see the campaign website, No Turning Back.

Al Otro Lado provides holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the U.S. and Tijuana through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice.  They engage in individual representation, human rights monitoring, medical-legal partnerships, and impact litigation to protect the rights of immigrants and people seeking asylum.

The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration and by working toward a more fair and just immigration system that opens its doors to those in need of protection and unleashes the energy and skills that immigrants bring. The Council brings together problem solvers and employs four coordinated approaches to advance change—litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications.

The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. 

The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies defends the human rights of courageous refugees seeking asylum in the United States. With strategic focus and unparalleled legal expertise, CGRS champions the most challenging cases, fights for due process, and promotes policies that deliver safety and justice for refugees.

The Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. 

The Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection is a non-partisan, public interest organization within Georgetown Law. ICAP engages in litigation, policy, and public education to defend constitutional rights and protect our democratic processes.

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Ohio, June 18, 2026 – New research from the American Immigration Council underscores the crucial role immigrants play in Ohio’s labor force, housing market, population growth, and economy. The new report was prepared in partnership with Ohio Business for Immigration Solutions, a statewide 100+ member business coalition powered by the American Immigration Council, and the Akron-Canton Advocacy Alliance. The report focuses on the Akron-Canton region of Ohio. 

In response to persistent workforce gaps and the need for sustainable talent pipelines, ACAA convened regional and national leaders to examine how immigration is impacting the Akron-Canton economy and its future growth. The report was released as part of that discussion, featuring insights from U.S. Congressman Michael Rulli (OH-6), U.S. Congresswoman Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Patrick Shen of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and representatives from the American Immigration Council and Ohio Business for Immigration Solutions. The conversation reinforced that immigration is not an abstract national issue, but a local economic reality—grounded in facts and focused on helping the region move forward. 

“The findings of this report demonstrate the value and importance of immigrants’ economic contributions to the Akron and Canton regions of Ohio,” said Juan Avilez, Policy Associate of the State and Local Initiatives team at the American Immigration Council. “In particular, it shows that immigrants are supporting the region in big ways – they contributed $5.0 billion to the region’s GDP and held $1.8 billion in spending power – showing why it’s important their contributions are recognized.” 

“The findings out of Akron-Canton confirm what we’re seeing across Ohio: immigrants are essential to the strength of our communities and our economy. Akron-Canton is one story among many,” said Madison Lisotto Whalen, Esq., Ohio Business for Immigration Solution Coalition. “From our manufacturing floors to our hospitals, immigrants are helping communities across the state stay vibrant, competitive, and positioned for long-term growth.” 

“The ACAA brings leaders together around the issues that matter most to our business community, and workforce is at the top of that list. Employers consistently tell us their biggest challenge is finding, attracting, and retaining the talent needed to grow,” said John Rizzo, Vice President of the Akron-Canton Advocacy Alliance. “This research paints a clear picture of the role immigrant populations play in our economy and informs a more data-driven approach to strengthening our talent pipeline. The ACAA will continue to bring forward data, convene leaders, and advocate for policies that reflect the real needs of our business community and support long-term economic success. 

Key Findings

• Immigrants in the Akron-Canton region contributed billions in taxes and consumer spending. In 2023, immigrant households earned $2.5 billion in income, with $446.0 million going to federal taxes and $227.5 billion going to state and local taxes, leaving them with $1.8 billion in spending power that can be reinvested back into local communities. Robust consumer spending by immigrant households supports small businesses and keeps local economic corridors vibrant. 
• Immigrant residents are helping Akron-Canton meet its labor force demands and will help meet future needs. In 2023, immigrants were 21.6 percent more likely to be of working age than their U.S.-born counterparts, and made-up 8.7 percent of workers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. This means that immigrants in the Akron-Canton region played an outsized role in the area’s labor force and technological growth. 
• Immigrants in Akron-Canton are supporting the preservation of American manufacturing. Immigrant workers accounted for 6.0 percent of the manufacturing industry and 5.9 percent of the transportation and warehousing industries in 2023. Immigrants living in the region helped to create or preserve around 2,700 manufacturing jobs that would have been eliminated or moved by 2023.  
• Immigrant entrepreneurs have contributed to growing local economies. Immigrants were 35.9 percent more likely to be an entrepreneur than their U.S.-born counterparts in the Akron-Canton region. In 2023, 3,800 immigrant entrepreneurs generated $166.9 million in business income. Signifying the ability of immigrants in building and supporting new, revenue generating businesses.   
• Immigrants are helping stabilize population trends and will play a critical role in the Akron-Canton region’s future growth. Between 2018 and 2023, while the region’s overall population remained flat, the immigrant population grew by 11.4%, increasing from 52,500 to 58,400 residents. Without this growth, the region would have experienced population decline. As demographic challenges persist across many Midwest communities, this trend underscores the importance of immigrants in sustaining population levels, supporting community vitality, and positioning the region for long-term economic stability and growth. 

Read the full factsheet to learn more.   

The post New Report Shows Immigrants in the Akron-Canton Region Contributed $5.0 billion to Region’s GDP  appeared first on American Immigration Council.

New research from the American Immigration Council underscores the crucial role that immigrants play in Texas’ food sectors, including agriculture. The new report, From Field to Fork: The Economic Impact of Immigrants on Texas’ Food Industry, was prepared in partnership with Texans for Economic Growth, a statewide 160+ member business coalition powered by the American Immigration Council. The report focuses on the state of Texas, with a spotlight on the Houston Metro Area.  

The report was publicly released in collaboration with multiple Texas-based partners at an event hosted by Amegy Bank. The regional event served to showcase the findings of the report and discuss the impact of immigration on Texas’ food industry with local leaders. The May 21 event featured a discussion with business and civic leaders about how Texas can act on this topic.  

“Texas’ agriculture and food industries are a cornerstone of our state’s economy, generating more than $102 billion in economic output and supporting communities across every region of Texas,” says Chelsie Kramer, Texas State Organizer for the American Immigration Council and Texans for Economic Growth. “This report underscores something Texas employers and community leaders already know firsthand: immigrants are essential to keeping our food system moving.  The report also highlights the reality that 14.5 percent of Texas’ food workers and 13.5 percent of the state’s agricultural workforce are undocumented immigrants, reinforcing that workforce stability and practical policy conversations are critical to the long-term strength and competitiveness of Texas’ food economy.” 

“Texas restaurants are built by people who work hard, serve their neighbors and help make our communities stronger. Immigrant workers have long been part of that story, not only in restaurant kitchens and dining rooms, but across the farms, suppliers and small businesses that make our food system work,” says Emily Williams Knight, Ed.D., president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association. “This report is an important reminder that practical workforce solutions do exist that would protect local businesses, keep food costs in check and preserve the hospitality that defines communities across Texas.” 

“This report provides crucial data on the essential role that immigrants play to power the American food system via Texas, from farms to restaurants,” says Anne McBride, Vice President of Impact at the James Beard Foundation. “These two sectors cannot exist without the other and face similar challenges when it comes to our immigrant entrepreneurs and workers, which is why the James Beard Foundation is thrilled to partner on the release of this important work.” 

“This report highlights a reality Texas employers know well: immigrant workers are essential to the strength, stability, and competitiveness of our agricultural and food economy. As Texas continues to grow, maintaining a dependable workforce will remain critical to supporting our producers, businesses, and consumers alike,” noted Justin Yancy, President & CEO of Texas Business Leadership Council, a statewide network of senior business leaders. 

Key Findings

• Across the Texas food sector, 400,500 immigrant workers make up nearly one-quarter (24.9 percent) of the workforce, contributing to industries including, agriculture, food processing, food wholesale trade, food retail trade, and food services. Beyond farms and ranches, immigrants are essential across the broader food supply chain. These interconnected industries rely on immigrant labor to move food from production to consumers.  
• Immigrant workers in Texas’ hold a wide range of immigration statuses. About one-fifth of workers in the food sector are naturalized citizens, while 14.5 percent were undocumented, including 20,100 DACA-eligible individuals. The state’s reliance on workers with a range of immigration statuses across the food industry means that shifts in immigration policy acutely affect workforce stability and the continuity of food production and distribution. 
• In 2024, agriculture, food processing, and food services generated $102.6 billion in economic output in Texas. The state exports $6.5 billion worth of agricultural commodities annually and is responsible for a sizable share of the United States’ agricultural exports. 
• Immigrant workers fill key occupations across the food sector. They comprised 47.8 percent of miscellaneous agricultural workers, 31.7 percent of cooks, and 24.6 percent of cashiers. Farms, restaurants, and grocery stores rely on immigrants to staff key frontline positions. 
• In 2024, agriculture and food services generated approximately $2.7 million in GDP in the Houston Metropolitan Area, and immigrants comprised over one-third (34.3 percent) of the workforce in the food sector. 

Read the full factsheet to learn more.   

About the American Immigration Council 

The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration and by working toward a more fair and just immigration system that opens its doors to those in need of protection and unleashes the energy and skills that immigrants bring. The Council brings together problem solvers and employs four coordinated approaches to advance change—litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications. In January 2022, the Council and New American Economy merged to combine a broad suite of advocacy tools to better expand and protect the rights of immigrants, more fully ensure immigrants’ ability to succeed economically, and help make the communities they settle in more welcoming. Follow the latest Council news and information on ImmigrationImpact.com and Twitter @immcouncil.   

About Texans for Economic Growth 

Texans for Economic Growth is a coalition of more than 145 Texas business leaders and associations dedicated to recognizing and supporting immigrants’ positive impact on the Texas economy as business owners, taxpayers, and consumers. With its launch on February 26, 2019, the coalition released the Texas Compact on Immigration, a set of principles signed by more than 145 Texas business leaders and groups to guide the immigration discussion at the state and federal levels. Texans for Economic Growth supports common-sense federal immigration reforms and statewide policies that recognize the valuable contributions immigrants make to the state. Learn more at txcompact.org. 

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Washington DC, May 12 Tues – Today, the American Immigration Council released a new framework calling for the overhaul of the United States’ immigration enforcement system. The framework argues that the country’s current approach is fundamentally disconnected from public safety and has trapped the immigration debate into a false binary between either mass deportation or no enforcement at all.

Restoring Credibility and Humanity: A New Framework for Immigration Enforcement, lays out a roadmap for replacing indiscriminate mass deportation with a system focused on increasing compliance with the law, prioritizing public safety threats, proportionate consequences, and meaningful accountability for government abuse. 

Read the framework here.

The proposal comes amid growing backlash to the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda, which has swept in longtime residents, families, business owners, and people actively pursuing lawful status.

“Mass deportation has eroded public trust in the federal government by treating every immigrant as a violent criminal,” said Nayna Gupta, national policy director and co-author of the report. “A credible system should give people who want to follow the rules, a way to do so, and use consequences that are proportionate to the actual violation. The Trump administration has weaponized outdated laws that use detention and deportation as a one-size-fits-all punishment, even for people with long-standing ties who pose no public safety threat.” 

The framework proposes major reforms across four pillars: 

• Creating a new process for long-term undocumented residents to gain lawful permanent status through fines, community service, and probation-like systems instead of deportation. 
• Revising outdated laws to focus enforcement on people convicted of violent or especially serious recent crimes while professionalizing enforcement.
• Legislating new, proportionate consequences for violations of immigration law, rather than subjecting every immigration violator to detention and deportation. 
• Establishing independent oversight and stronger court authority to hold immigration agencies and agents accountable for abuses. 

The framework argues that immigration enforcement should be measured not by the number of deportations carried out, but by whether laws are enforced consistently, fairly, and humanely.  

“The whole goal when all this immigration stuff started ramping up about a year and a half ago was to get violent offenders off the street. And no one has any problem with that. The issue is you have people who are here and they are following the rules—people who are reporting to their regular check-ins and being taken into custody at those check-ins. Things like that really erode trust and really make it more dangerous for everyone out here when law enforcement can’t be trusted,” said Joseph Kennedy, sheriff of Dubuque county, Iowa. 

The framework also calls for sweeping accountability reforms, asserting that public confidence in immigration enforcement cannot be rebuilt without meaningful oversight and consequences for abuses of power. That means that agencies and agents that abuse their power should be reined in or pushed out. Among other recommendations, the proposal calls for expanding judicial authority to review unlawful enforcement actions, creating an independent immigration accountability commission, strengthening internal oversight offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and giving victims of civil rights violations the ability to sue. 

“Building a credible and humane immigration enforcement system depends on establishing that enforcement agencies are accountable both to the public and other branches of government,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow and co-author of the report. “No law enforcement agency can maintain legitimacy if abuses of power carry no consequences. A credible enforcement system must give courts and Congress stronger authority to intervene when federal agencies and officers abuse their authority.”

The framework warns that the U.S. has reached a critical point after decades of failed immigration policymaking that is overly focused on punishment instead of long-term compliance and public safety. According to the report, continuing down the path of indiscriminate enforcement risks locking the country into a permanent system of mass detention and social disruption. 

“We are facing a choice between indiscriminate enforcement that destabilizes communities and pulls resources away from genuine public safety threats, versus credible enforcement that is targeted, proportional, and actually capable of delivering public safety,” said Gupta. “The question is not whether immigration laws should be enforced. The question is whether enforcement will be smart, focused, and humane, or driven by fear, quotas, and political theater.” 

The full framework is available here. 

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