If a government can refuse interviews and a major network pulls the story… that’s a problem. “60 Minutes” delayed its CECOT segment on Trump-era deportees to El Salvador. CBS says “additional reporting” is needed. www.mediaite.com/media/news/6...

Record Number 68,442 Immigrants Will Spend Christmas in Cages ICE's aggressive enforcement agenda across the country reflected in latest data: record high detention numbers, most have no criminal history, arrests increase in December. austinkocher.substack.com/p/record-num...

Holidays without my husband: What US immigration policy costs families A powerful story from American Families United member Julie Moreno about what it's like to spend the holidays without her husband Nef because of our country's immigration policies. thehill.com/opinion/immi...

This number is hard to ignore. A mega-shelter in Tijuana says it has received 12,000 deported migrants this year. People keep coming, and space is limited. www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/m...

Two men were arrested near an ICE facility in Oregon, but authorities say the arrests were unrelated to immigration enforcement. www.dailytidings.com/two-men-arre...

A 6-year-old child was separated from his father after an ICE arrest in NYC. DHS now confirms both were deported to China. The case is raising fresh questions about family detention. www.el-balad.com/6801311

After recent shootings near Brown and MIT, Trump blamed the green card lottery. Axios notes the program has long been a political target, even though experts say it has no connection to crime. www.axios.com/2025/12/19/t...

ICE descends on my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, hitting K-12 schools and immigrant neighborhoods. Update: ICE reportedly arrested two Dublin Scioto high schools students today. austinkocher.substack.com/p/ice-descen...

Immigration enforcement isn’t just about the border. This CFR analysis shows how ICE’s role has expanded under Trump, affecting arrests, detention, and deportations nationwide. www.cfr.org/article/ice-...

NY Post reports a jury convicted Judge Hannah Dugan of obstructing ICE, saying she intervened to help an undocumented immigrant evade arrest. The verdict raises new questions about the role of judges in immigration cases. nypost.com/2025/12/19/u...

Immigration enforcement isn’t just a border issue. New reporting from Maine shows how federal crackdowns are reshaping daily life for immigrants in rural and small-town America. www.bangordailynews.com/2025/12/19/m...

Housing costs keep rising, but immigration isn’t the main cause. Reason breaks down why zoning laws and restricted construction matter far more than migration levels. reason.com/2025/12/18/t...

Hey, nerds. My latest post includes a section at the bottom that pulls back the curtain on how the report on mixed-status families was produced -- just a little bonus for anyone who (like myself) cares about process as product. austinkocher.substack.com/p/new-report...

ABC7 reports a Christmas carol protest outside a Concord home after ICE activity resulted in a deportation. Immigration enforcement is no longer abstract for many communities. abc7news.com/post/immigra...

Ope.

Activists physically blocked ICE’s San Francisco office by chaining themselves to the building. The protest reflects growing public resistance to deportation practices, even far from the border. sfstandard.com/2025/12/16/s...

New Report Reveals Hardship, Family Separation for U.S. Citizens in Mixed-Status Marriages American Families United's first survey of mixed-status couples reveals 20% already separated and 80% now discussing leaving the U.S. due to immigration policies. austinkocher.substack.com/p/new-report...

Family separation is happening inside the U.S. too. This report details how thousands of migrant families have been split apart through arrests, detention, and deportation under Trump-era policies. www.reflector.com/news/nationa...

Immigrant health care often depends on legal status, not medical need. This Louisiana Illuminator report explains how policy barriers shape who gets treatment, who delays care, and who falls through the cracks. lailluminator.com/2025/12/17/i...

A federal judge is trying to find out if deportation flights kept going after he ordered them to stop. DOJ wants that investigation blocked and the judge removed from the case. www.bangordailynews.com/2025/12/12/n...

I sat down with Andrea Flores, who spent 15 years on immigration policy inside government, to discuss why the old reform playbook isn't working and what a winning vision for 2026 might look like. austinkocher.substack.com/p/toward-a-p...

NBC’s fact check notes that Trump claimed “millions” of undocumented immigrants entered the U.S. recently, but available DHS data shows encounters rose and fell over time and do not support several of the precise figures cited in the speech. www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

MSN reports that hundreds of people were arrested in a large ICE operation spanning multiple states, as federal immigration enforcement continues to expand nationwide. www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...

As ICE steps up arrests in Broward County, local residents say people without criminal records are being detained. The administration says enforcement is focused on criminals, but community accounts suggest a broader impact. www.wlrn.org/immigration/...

Check out my conversation with @austinkocher.com on the work we need to do in 2026 to elect leaders with real vision for our immigration system.

Toward a Positive Vision for Immigration Policy in 2026 I sat down with @andreaflores.bsky.social, who spent 15 yrs on immigration policy inside gov, to discuss why the old reform playbook isn't working and what a winning vision for 2026 might look like. austinkocher.substack.com/p/toward-a-p...

Reporting from Indybay documents recent immigration-related protests and enforcement activity in California, highlighting ongoing local resistance to federal deportation practices. www.indybay.org/newsitems/20...

Anadolu Agency reports the U.S. moved 22 Cuban migrants to Guantanamo Bay for deportation, even as litigation challenges the government’s authority to hold migrants at the facility. www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/...

After documenting China’s Uyghur detention camps, a Chinese man now faces possible deportation from the U.S. The case raises broader questions about asylum, retaliation, and the risks faced by whistleblowers. asia.nikkei.com/politics/int...

Join Andrea Flores and I at 12:30 PM today for this crucial conversation. open.substack.com/live-stream/...

New investigation: some hospitals have pressured families to accept cross-border transfers for critically ill patients when long-term care is unaffordable. In 2008, a Phoenix hospital official told the NYT it repatriated about 8 patients per month. conectaarizona.com/deported-fro...

The Trump administration is reportedly removing some immigration judges and replacing them with officials focused primarily on deportation outcomes, a shift that could significantly change how immigration cases are decided. biz.chosun.com/en/en-intern...

@austinkocher.com "talks about record-high detention— 65,735 people as of Nov 30, how migrants are often moved by buses & flights from detention facilities to those far from their homes, which makes it difficult for families to visit & for their lawyers to track them fox5sandiego.com/news/border-...

Nearly 1 million people used CBP One to enter the U.S. at legal ports of entry. Now DHS is sending notices ending their parole and telling them to leave “immediately,” which can also cancel work permits. www.msn.com/en-sg/news/o...

Marrying a U.S. citizen does not “fix” immigration status. AFU’s new report shows long-term marriages (13+ yrs), deep community ties, and rising fear: since Jan 2025, 81% have discussed leaving the U.S. Emotional hardship affects 97.5%. Read the full report here: www.americanfamiliesunited.org

Massachusetts is pushing back on ICE flights from Hanscom Field. Gov. Healey says the flights are being used to transfer people out of state, which separates them from their communities and weakens access to lawyers. www.nbcboston.com/news/politic...

This BBC account shows what ICE detention can look like when you are in the asylum process. Milan says agents took him from a road checkpoint, gave him little information, moved him between facilities, and kept him detained for weeks before bond. en.vijesti.me/bbc/787596/L...

This is what public pressure can do. A Kansas tribe says it fired senior leaders after concerns about a $30M DHS contract to help plan and design ICE detention facilities. The tribe says the work clashes with its values. ictnews.org/news/ice-det...

All 49 Nebraska senators were invited to tour the McCook ICE detention center. Only five attended, and they described detainees as “content.” Other senators refused the tour and said a scheduled walkthrough is not the same as real oversight access. www.1011now.com/2025/12/16/f...

Global Voices connects the dots: asylum and refugee admissions suspended, CBP One shut down, and “Remain in Mexico” reinstated. That is not “order.” It is a system that pushes families into risk. globalvoices.org/2025/12/16/life-at-the-u-s-mexico-border-under-the-trump-administration/

A Trump-appointed immigration judge says he was fired mid-workday, and the cases on his docket were suddenly put on hold. Another former judge says the people removed were known for giving immigrants due process. Newsweek calls it a “hostile takeover.” us.headtopics.com/news/fired-j...

Stateline reports ICE is arresting more people, but fewer with violent records. By October, under 5% had violent-crime convictions, and 44% were for immigration violations. stateline.org/2025/12/12/an-ever-larger-share-of-ices-arrested-immigrants-have-no-criminal-record/

After reports that U.S. citizens were detained in Minnesota ICE operations, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan argued the enforcement approach is out of control and demanded accountability. The story also shows a rare public split between Minnesota Democrats. www.aol.com/news/walz-de...

This photo story follows migrant mothers raising children alone after their partners were detained or deported. It shows that family separation also happens through arrests inside the U.S., not only at the border. Read: www.hjnews.com/nation/photo...

"Who Wins With My Broken Family?": U.S. Citizen Amanda Ribeiro on Survival, Heartbreak, and an Immigration System That is Wrecking American Families austinkocher.substack.com/p/who-wins-w...

ICE detained Joel Camas, 16, during a routine check-in at 26 Federal Plaza in NYC, even though he had Special Immigrant Juvenile status. Lawyers say the Trump administration stopped deferred action for these kids and is moving to deport them faster. www.sanluisobispo.com/news/nation-...

The ACLU of Nevada is suing Las Vegas police, saying they handed a Cuban man to ICE even though a judge ordered him transferred to an inpatient treatment facility. He was deported before he could fight his case in court. www.cubaheadlines.com/articles/316...

Illinois just passed a law that limits civil ICE arrests near courthouses, hospitals, colleges, day cares, and schools. It also lets people sue if immigration agents violate their constitutional rights. Read: www.mystateline.com/news/local-n...

Want to level up your writing about immigration? Here's how to write – and think – more clearly. Improve your thinking and your writing today by removing this one deceptive word from your vocabulary. austinkocher.substack.com/p/immigratio...

A federal appeals court blocked the release of 600+ people detained in a Chicago-area ICE crackdown, even after a judge said the arrests likely violated a 2022 court agreement. The appeals court said the cases have to be handled one by one. www.newsday.com/news/nation/...