Enforcement

The enforcement of immigration laws is a complex and hotly-debated topic. Learn more about the costs of immigration enforcement and the ways in which the U.S. can enforce our immigration laws humanely and in a manner that ensures due process.

Recent Features

FACT SHEET
A Primer on Expedited Removal

Expedited removal is a process by which low-level immigration officers can quickly deport certain noncitizens who are undocumented or have committed fraud or misrepresentation. 

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Detained, Deceived, and Deported: Experiences of Recently Deported Central American Families

First-hand accounts from Central American women and their family members reveal the dangerous and bleak circumstances of life these women and their children faced upon return to their home countries, as well as serious problems in the deportation process. 

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Children in Immigration Court: Over 95 Percent Represented by an Attorney Appear in Court

Many children are placed in deportation proceedings before an immigration judge, where they will carry the legal burden of proving that they should be allowed to remain in the United States. The government does not guarantee them the right to a lawyer. As a result, many children navigate the complicated system without legal representation.

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All Enforcement Content

  • Special Report

Debunking the Myth of "Sanctuary Cities"

Publication Date: 
April 26, 2011
There is much confusion about the term “sanctuary city.” The term is often used derisively by immigration opponents to blast what are best described as community policing policies. Critics claim...
  • Press Release

American Immigration Council Hails Decision Enjoining Enforcement of Arizona’s SB 1070

April 12, 2011

Washington, D.C - The American Immigration Council applauds yesterday’s decision of the U.S.

  • Press Release

Filling the Leadership Void: What is President Obama’s Vision on Immigration?

April 11, 2011

Washington D.C.

  • Press Release

A Rising Tide or a Shrinking Pie

March 24, 2011

Washington, D.C. - As Arizona approaches the one-year anniversary of the passage of SB 1070, the Immigration Policy Center and Center for American Progress

  • Research and Analysis

A Rising Tide or a Shrinking Pie

Publication Date: 
March 24, 2011
Our national debate over urgently needed immigration reform is now careening through our state legislatures, city halls, and town councils due to political gridlock at the federal level. And nowhere...
  • Press Release

Georgia State Legislature Pursuing Budget Busting Solutions to Immigration

March 1, 2011

Washington D.C. – In the face of a $1.7 billion budget shortfall in fiscal year 2011, Georgia state legis

  • Press Release

E-Verify: Burdens Businesses and Displaces U.S. Workers

February 10, 2011

Washington D.C. - Today, the House Immigration Subcommittee held its second hearing of the new session.

  • Fact Sheet

Mandatory E-Verify without Legalization Would Hamper Economic Recovery and Cost U.S. Workers Jobs

Publication Date: 
February 10, 2011
Since 1986, controlling illegal immigration by regulating who is entitled to work in the United States has been a key component of U.S. immigration policy. The ritual of showing proof of one’s...
  • Research and Analysis

Deeper into the Shadows

Publication Date: 
February 9, 2011
Before the onset of the Great Recession, immigrant labor was cited as a boom to the U.S. economy. In towns and cities across the country, immigrant labor—documented or otherwise—filled positions in...
  • Special Report

After the Raid is Over: Marshalltown, Iowa and the Consequences of Worksite Enforcement Raids

Publication Date: 
January 25, 2011
For many years, large-scale worksite raids constituted a major element of federal immigration enforcement. While the large-scale and well-publicized worksite raids have tapered, immigration...

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