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A complaint was filed alleging mistreatment and abuse of unaccompanied minor immigrants while in the custody of United States immigration authorities. However, a preliminary finding by the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that his office was unable to substantiate any of the allegations of abuse.

Our recent blog post detailed some of the problems and changes affecting a new family detention center in Artesia, New Mexico. Now, officials are planning a new family detention center for immigrant children and families in Texas. The center will be run by the for-profit Corrections Corporation of America. Combined with the government’s new “no bond” policy, this has resulted in an industry making lots of money from the recent immigration humanitarian crisis.

Arizona State University and the University of Arizona are popular universities for college bound students from across the country. But increasing, Arizona lures thousands of foreign students to study in the United States in pursuit of higher education. According to a new Brookings Institution report on the geography of foreign students in U.S. higher education, these foreign students on F-1 visas bring millions of dollars in spending in tuition and living expenses to Arizona.

A new detention center opened in Artesia, New Mexico in response to the recent increase in the numbers of families and unaccompanied minor immigrants coming to the United States from Central America. However, being located hundreds of miles from any cities, and without facilities to provide for legal access for the detainees, hundreds of the immigrants were being deported in expedited removal proceedings. After filing a federal lawsuit, teams of lawyers are now getting access to advocate on behalf of the immigrant families and children.

Immigrants' ability to get a driver’s license varies from state to state. Some states allow for a driver’s license regardless of immigration status. Others do not. Some states even deny a driver’s license to people who have already been granted Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA). However, the number of states providing for a license to drive for everyone is increasing, although many states have yet to take up the issue.

The numbers of undocumented immigrants coming to the United States has plateaued over the past decade. However, as the growth of the unauthorized immigrant population has leveled out, the length of time these adults have stayed in the U.S. has increased to an average of almost 13 years.

The Secure Communities program was started in 2008, but under President Obama has been expanded to over half of all state and local law enforcement jurisdictions. The program allows local law enforcement to identify undocumented immigrants and prioritize deportation of criminals. However, the program has come under heavy scrutiny over the years for its lack of clear regulations, and the negative effect it has had on local communities. Now, a recent study has found that deportations under the Secure Communities program have had no discernible effect on lowering local crime rates.

Over the past year, the number of cases waiting a hearing in immigration court has increased to nearly 400,000. Immigrants looking for a resolution of their legal status are left to wait for their day in court, or increasingly, wait detained in one of the many detention centers here in Arizona and across the country.

A settlement reached between the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) now provides that immigration officials will be required to give oral and written information regarding the consequences of signing voluntary departure papers to immigrants in the San Diego border region.

The thousands of unaccompanied minor immigrants from Central America has the government scrambling for solutions to feed, house, and process this children for stays or deportation. The situation has been called an “urgent humanitarian crisis” by President Barack Obama. However, the latest crackdown on immigration has come not from the United States, but from Mexico.

Over the past few months, we’ve heard of the massive influx of unaccompanied children making the journey from Central America to the U.S. border. Tens of thousands of children made the long and dangerous journey, crossing primarily into Texas, to escape gang violence, drug trafficking, and extreme poverty in their home countries. However, the number of children making the crossing has been declining, and August has seen a further drop.

With the more than 50,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America who have crossed the border over the past year, the federal government has struggled to find them temporary housing before they can be placed with sponsors. President Obama has called the situation a humanitarian crisis. However, some miscreants are treating the crisis as an opportunity to swindle concerned family of the immigrant children.

In June, Daniel Ruiz took sanctuary in Tucson’s Southside Presbyterian Church for 26 days, before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials granted him a one-year stay of removal. Now, another undocumented immigrant is looking to the church for relief from pending deportation. Since August 7th, Rosa Robles Loreto has moved into the Southside Presbyterian Church, and intends to remain there until her deportation order is removed.

The sunny days of summer break have come to an end. It’s back to school time, and for thousands of international students in Arizona and across the country, that means complying with U.S. immigration laws. Citizens of foreign countries must have a student visa to study in the United States, and they must maintain their status in order to remain in the U.S.

In the past, the family detention centers created by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) received harsh criticism for their treatment of women and children. The recent addition of new family detention centers to deal with the increased numbers of families and children apprehended at the border, has similarly met with backlash. A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups claims of lack of due process intended to fast-track deportation of women and children without a meaningful opportunity to plead their case to stay in the United States.

Under the health care law, immigrants who are in the country illegally are not eligible for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care coverage, and are not eligible to receive insurance subsidies. Qualifying immigration status includes Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), as well as asylees, victims of trafficking, applicants for status, and others. Healthcare.gov lists covered immigration status and required immigration documentation here.

In a Friday press conference, President Barack Obama had laid out plans for immigration reform that he could implement by executive order without waiting for Congress to act. He said he is reviewing recommendations from the Justice departments and DHS, but has not offered a specific time frame for enacting the reforms. These comments come after mounting pressure from immigrant advocacy groups to stop the accelerated deportations of children and families. However, on Saturday, he reversed momentum, saying he would wait until after the November elections.

For several weeks now, the United States has been dealing with the humanitarian crisis at the border. Since May, there was an unprecedented surge in unaccompanied and undocumented minors attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these children were coming from Central American countries that have been experiencing terrible violence. These countries include El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Those who have been following this issue contemplate that one explanation for the increase in attempted crossings by these minors is that they are willing to risk their lives in order to escape the violence.

There are now fewer unaccompanied minors attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. There are also substantially less minors staying in Arizona, after being processed, than in other states. Articles from Tucson News Now and Cronkite News Online have described these different issues.

Lately, there has been so much reported on the crisis at the border, that some other important immigration issues have been receiving less attention. One positive piece of news that has recently come up is fact that Colorado has begun “issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards to immigrants regardless of their legal status.” This is significant, not only because of the progress being made in the state, but also because less than ten years ago, Colorado had actually passed strict immigration enforcement legislation.

There has been a lot written about undocumented, unaccompanied minors from countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala over the last several weeks. There has been such a surge in Central American children apprehended at the border, issues related to children from other countries attempting to cross into the U.S. without documentation have been put on the back burner.

There’s a humanitarian crisis at the border. Congress is on recess. Can anything be done in the next few weeks to help solve this problem? President Obama had a press conference recently and stated that he will be looking into taking executive action, since Congress is not currently in session. He understands that this is a pressing issue and cannot be put on hold.

Over the last several weeks, the focus has shifted from immigration reform to the humanitarian crisis that is occurring at the U.S.-Mexico border. Without comprehensive immigration reform, there are a lot of questions surrounding the current situation at the southern border. It has been reported that there have been in excess of 57,000 unaccompanied children attempting to cross into the United States without documentation. So, what can the Obama Administration do about it?

There have been more than 57,000 unaccompanied minors attempting to cross into the United States by way of the U.S.-Mexico border. A lot of these minors are under the age of 12. In fact, the Pew Research Center is reporting a 117% rise “in the number of unaccompanied children age 12 and younger . . . in the first eight months of this fiscal year compared with the entire 2013 fiscal year.”

It’s no secret that there are some politicians who seem to be less compassionate than others when it comes to the current humanitarian crisis happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. For some, the divide seems to be between Democrats and Republicans. In recent news, “House Democrats publicly shamed Republicans” and asked for them to “have a heart.” You can read the full article here.