In deep-red Idaho, even Republicans are breaking with Trump on farm labor, because much of U.S. agriculture, including Idaho dairy, runs on immigrant workers. Analysis by The Conversation: theconversation.com/in-deep-red-...

DACA renewal delays are leaving Dreamers anxious about gaps in work permits and protection. When processing slows, people can lose jobs and status through no fault of their own. Reporting by @Documentedny: documentedny.com/2026/06/22/d...

“Do not give one more dollar to ICE or Border Patrol, and take back the money that’s already been given. You can call, just say that every day.” We couldn't agree more. Here's the number to reach your reps: (202) 224-3121.

“The shy boy was the first in his family to walk the graduation stage, and he was determined to get a head start on his future. He had a diploma to pick up, a high school textbook to return and fall classes to register for at El Camino College.” Then he had his ICE check-in.

He graduated high school with honors. The next day, ICE detained him. He's now in removal proceedings with an ankle monitor. Reporting by the LA Times: www.latimes.com/california/s...

The Supreme Court will decide whether ICE can hold people indefinitely, often without a bond hearing while their case plays out. Analysis by Slate: slate.com/news-and-pol...

Hundreds of thousands of children, many U.S. citizens, have been separated from a parent in the immigration crackdown, and CBS News reports on the mental health toll. So much of enforcement's cost lands on kids. www.cbsnews.com/news/arrests...

The New Yorker reports on how the administration pushed immigration judges to deport children. At one hearing, a judge ordered a dozen teens "removed." Children navigate a court built for adults. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

Some local police use an ICE facial recognition app, through officers deputized under the 287(g) program. Federal surveillance keeps moving to local departments. Reporting by NPR: www.npr.org/2026/06/19/n...

Do not let anyone tell you there’s no money to build housing. If they can find money to build cages they can find money to build homes.

A construction database lists a $400 million ICE detention facility for Hammond, Louisiana, with a Sept. 1 start. The detention buildout often shows up in procurement records before public debate. Reporting by Project Salt Box: www.projectsaltbox.com/p/constructi...

Haitian asylum seekers waited almost 8 hours at a NY immigration court, then learned the hearing wouldn't happen. "Mega master" hearings are changing how courts process cases. Reporting by @Documentedny: documentedny.com/2026/06/19/m...

ICE appears to be buying immigrants' tax identifiers from a data broker, possibly working around a court order that banned this. Enforcement keeps migrating into the data market. Reporting by @404mediaco: www.404media.co/ice-appears-...

Why don't immigrants just get in line? Nayna Gupta explains that we have never built a standing path to status, which is why demanding compliance without offering one falls apart on contact with the facts. Watch/listen: austinkocher.substack.com/p/nayna-gupt...

The Trump administration is ordering a 62-mile border wall built across the Tohono O'odham Nation without the tribe's consent. Chairman Verlon Jose calls it the biggest land grab of the modern era. 🧵 www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

A dozen people the U.S. deported to Sierra Leone had won court orders barring their return home, where judges found they face persecution. 🧵 thehill.com/homenews/ap/...

A green card holder spent 21 months in ICE detention without a bond hearing. The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether people facing prolonged detention are entitled to one, after a federal appeals court called his detention unreasonably prolonged. austinkocher.substack.com/p/this-week-...

ICE appears to be buying immigrants' tax ID numbers from a private data broker through a nearly $10 million contract, according to records reviewed by 404 Media. Read the full story at www.404media.co/ice-appears-...

I offer a truly free, completely un-paywalled newsletter that unlike almost anything else out there, takes the time to get into the details with immigration data and real experts. I think it's pretty unique. Let me know what you think: austinkocher.substack.com

A new edition of This Week by the {Immigration} Numbers is up. Each week I pick a handful of figures that capture where immigration enforcement, the courts, and refugee policy are moving, every one with a source so you can dig in. 🧵

The model traces to Australia's 2001 Pacific Solution (Nauru and Papua New Guinea) and the EU's 2016 deal with Turkey to block crossings into Greece.

Done, I just signed it. #FreeMartinSoto #Migente #Familia #Noticias

Happy Fathers Day! Do this now 🚨

Not everyone will like this post, and that’s fine. But if we don’t learn lessons from past failures about how to pass the torch and have a vision that’s something more than simply “not Trump”, we will have to be more introspective and less defensive. I would prefer NOT to lose again in 2028.

His family fled Nicaragua in late 2022, citing political persecution. They entered asylum proceedings, got work permits, and kept every appointment. Their check-ins had gone from twice a year to monthly.

Barely a day passes when I don’t think about the fact that part of the reason we’re here right now is because Joe Biden seriously thought he was going to try to run for a second term. Incredible career that guy, but just imagine the arrogance and delusion.

It’s time that we stop treating wealthy white men who fell upwards into positions of cult leadership as if they’re brilliant negotiators and deal makers. There’s a reason why our government has entire teams of experts to handle this. It’s not sexy, but true competence rarely is.

A Brookings analysis estimates more than 200,000 children, including 145,000 US citizens, have likely had at least one parent detained since January. About a third are under age 6.

17,500 The U.S. refugee admissions cap, now aimed largely at white South Africans, even as 117.8 million people are displaced worldwide. The first global drop in displacement in a decade arrives as the U.S. shuts the door and refugee funding collapses.

Heidi Altman of @nilc.org and I also talk about why citizenship has to stay the line, and how Congress could still claw back the money. Watch or listen, then call your reps to say do not give one more dollar to ICE. austinkocher.substack.com/p/do-not-giv...

Wilber Urbina Garcia graduated with honors in LA on June 9. He wanted to be a doctor. The next day, ICE detained him at a routine check-in. His family is in active asylum proceedings: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Over 200,000 children, including 145,000 US citizens, have likely had a parent detained since January, per Brookings. Therapists describe kids too anxious to leave home. Careful reporting from KFF Health News: www.cbsnews.com/news/arrests...

Border "externalization" has gone mainstream. The Trump administration has signed 20+ deals sending deportees to countries they are not from, like Vietnamese nationals to South Sudan. A sharp MPI primer on how it spread: www.migrationpolicy.org/article/bord...

ICE bought up warehouses to turn detention/deportation into "amazon prime", overpaying literally billions in taxpayer $$$ in the process. Now it admits the project is a failure & will sell or give them away (!), probably to Trump donors. More DHS chaos. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...

7,750 calls. What a St. Louis immigration hotline has fielded since January 2025, now visible on a new public dashboard. Local data filling the gaps government numbers leave behind. See the data here: austinkocher.substack.com/p/this-week-...

119 days. How long Mamuka Artmeladze, a Georgian man with no criminal record and no alleged immigration violation, spent in ICE detention before he died at Winn Correctional Center. See the data here: austinkocher.substack.com/p/this-week-...

I asked Heidi Altman how to talk about detention without adopting the administration's framing. Here’s what she had to say. Watch or listen to the full conversation at austinkocher.substack.com/p/do-not-giv...

"Activities such as speeding, walking a dog not on a leash, or fishing without a valid license may now serve as the basis for the government filing a civil denaturalization complaint in federal courts." From new TRAC report on rising denaturalizations. tracreports.org/reports/774/

If you're looking for legal aid in your area but not sure where to start, visit www.americanfamiliesunited.org/regional_leg.... We've got resources broken down by region so you know where to start. If you're not sure, reach out to your AFU regional rep online.

ICYMI yesterday: my conversation with Heidi Altman of @nilc.org on how Congress's new $70B enforcement law fuels mass detention, strips transparency, and arms ICE with military-grade equipment. Watch or listen. austinkocher.substack.com/p/do-not-giv...

If you say you are a coffee shop but you open after 7:00 AM, you’re not a coffee shop — you’re living a lie and doing real damage to our Country. There, I said it. ☕️😂

It’s just simple math, I don’t make the rules.

#WeTalkMoneyWednesday, I learned a lot listening to this discussion #💲 🗒️💵 is being spent on buying military-grade equipment Chemical weapons #money spending up 4-fold 📝 #Detainees may need a permission slip to talk w/Congressional Representatives @austinkocher.com open.substack.com/pub/austinko...

30 pounds. What a Milwaukee mosque leader and green-card holder has lost over two months in ICE detention while denied consistent diabetes care. A measure of medical neglect inside the system. See the data here: austinkocher.substack.com/p/this-week-...

Congress just handed ICE and Border Patrol another $70 billion. I sat down with Heidi Altman of @nilc.org to talk through what this new enforcement law means. Watch or listen to the full conversation. austinkocher.substack.com/p/do-not-giv...

ABC News covered AFU Action when we went to DC to tell our stories to lawmakers and help them understand that our immigration system is tearing American families apart. Watch the coverage below and thanks to ABC for spending time with us. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccHy...

5 days. All the time a migrant would have to appeal before automatic removal under a deportation system DHS is helping build for Panama, a preview of enforcement reaching beyond U.S. borders. See the data here: austinkocher.substack.com/p/this-week-...

The immigration courts have no independence. This goes way beyond what should be acceptable meddling with due process.

Starting in one hour: my conversation with Heidi Altman of @nilc.org on What's in the New $70 Billion Immigration Enforcement Budget begins at 10am EDT. There's still time to register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Happening today: my conversation with Heidi Altman of @nilc.org on What's in the New $70 Billion Immigration Enforcement Budget, 10am EDT. Register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...