Arizona
Closed door justice
Story by Suzgo Chitete
Since President Donald Trump returned to office, advocacy groups, court observers and journalists have increasingly been barred from immigration court hearings.
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
The cost of deportation
Story by Lilly Roseburrough
The cost of immigration enforcement for taxpayers is well known. But far less visible is the private cost borne by immigrants and their families.
Bonds without bounds
Story by Mia Osmonbekov
A middle-aged man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with no criminal record, a 15-year history with his local church, and a U.S. citizen wife and children, sat in an Eloy, Arizona, immigration court.
Children placed in adult detention centers
Story by Katrina Michalak & Sophie Schaeffer
The medical community has dismissed dental X-rays as an unreliable way to determine someone’s age; the government continues to use them.
Immigration courts face pressure to move faster
Story by Tymber Klahr
Photos by Ike Wood
Attorneys and former judges say Trump administration policies aimed at efficiency risk limiting fairness.
California
The chilling effect on international student journalists
Story by Charlotte Calmès
Graphics by Jesse Renee Kennedy
The arrest last year of a Tufts doctoral student following a critical op-ed, followed by a rash of student visa revocations, has led some international and immigrant student journalists to step back. Others continue reporting amid fear and uncertainty.
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
DHS after a turbulent and deadly year
Story by Gian Marco Velásquez
Photos by Ike Wood
During President Trump's second administration, DHS has become defined by hardline policies, violence and turmoil.
LA street vendors risk deportation to work
Story by Lizbeth Solorzano
As stepped-up immigration enforcement began in L.A. last year, street vendors were among those arrested. Vendors say they’re afraid – but they need to work.
Due process at risk in Trump’s immigration courts
Story by Bryan Nicolas-Nicolas
How firings and other dramatic changes are affecting the immigration court system – and due process.
What we observed in U.S. immigration courts
Story by Griffin W. Fellows & Brenne Sheehan
Photos by Ike Wood
Lives in the Balance brought together six universities to document and observe immigration court hearings..
Florida
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
Built in a flash: New satellite imagery shows rapid construction of “Alligator Alcatraz”
Story by Kairi Lowery
New satellite imagery shows rapid construction of “Alligator Alcatraz."
“We couldn’t take it anymore”
Story by Bea Anhuci
Fear of immigration arrests near schools in Florida are reducing enrollment.
Students shut out
Story by Angelique Rodriguez & Oriana Torre
A new proposal would block immigrants unlawfully in the U.S. from attending Florida colleges.
Suddenly uprooted
Story by Delia Rose Sauer & Vera Lucia Pappaterra
Here's what happens to immigrants deported from Florida to their home countries.
What we observed in U.S. immigration courts
Story by Griffin W. Fellows & Brenne Sheehan
Photos by Ike Wood
Lives in the Balance brought together six universities to document and observe immigration court hearings..
Illinois
Venezuelan asylum seeker faces deportation to Ecuador under Trump policy
Story by Camille Vocelka
The story of a Venezuelan asylum seeker facing a third-country deportation order from a Chicago judge.
Notario fraud persists in Chicago as the Trump Administration toys with immigration courts
Story by Vani Subramony
Graphics by Jesse Renee Kennedy
In Chicago, people looking for assistance with immigration paperwork have the chance of being taken advantage of by notario públicos.
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
Trends, jargon inside Chicago immigration courts
Story by Clare Kirwan
Navigating immigration court is complicated and people before the court, known as respondents, often fall through the cracks.
In Chicago’s immigration court: Cases of chaos, despair and hope
Story by Project Staff
In Chicago’s immigration court hundreds of immigrants go through proceedings that will determine whether they will be able to stay in the U.S.
What we observed in U.S. immigration courts
Story by Griffin W. Fellows & Brenne Sheehan
Photos by Ike Wood
Lives in the Balance brought together six universities to document and observe immigration court hearings..
Nebraska
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
Financial questions linger over ‘Cornhusker Clink’
Story by Ruth Bailey
Photos by Julia Trost
Eight months after an ICE detention facility opened in rural Nebraska, questions remain about promised economic benefits to the state.
Chaos and confusion inside Omaha’s Immigration Court
Story by Justin Diep
Omaha's Immigration Court is backlogged, overwhelmed with language barriers and policy changes.
Immigrant youth risk losing special protection status
Story by Izabell Escobar
Timing, dueling court systems and lack of legal help often creates confusion for immigrant youth threatening special protections provided to some.
Policy changes disrupt agricultural workforce
Story by Ruth Bailey
Nebraskans face uncertainty as new immigration policy changes disrupt agricultural workforce.
On the road: South Omaha to ‘Cornhusker Clink’
Story by Justin Diep
A freshman senator fights for Nebraska’s immigrant community.
New York
Funding cut halts farm dream
Story by Wesley J. Pérez Vidal
Graphics by Jesse Renee Kennedy
The Trump administration derailed a decade-long effort by immigrant farmworkers in New York to purchase land, launch a cooperative farm and become owners rather than laborers.
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
Coming to Cuse Podcast
Story by Project Staff & Jai’La Du Rousseau & Patricia Diaz
Graphics by Cayla Israel
A podcast series about immigrating to the Salt City
Oswego’s Safe Haven Museum CNY’s ‘forgotten’ Holocaust refugees
Story by Julia Boehning
Photos by Cassie Roshu
Fort Ontario was the only Holocaust refugee camp in the U.S. Its leaders say its story matters more than ever.
Life inside Upstate New York’s ICE detention center
Story by Project Staff
A delayed Christmas, detainee testimony and a surprise DHS inspection offer a rare window into conditions inside the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia.
ICE split her family apart
Story by Elany Romero Cruz & Megan Ebken
Photos by Ella Chan
A Central New York father of two was deported without a hearing, devastating the wife and sons he left behind.
Interpreters can shape asylum hearings
Story by Wesley J. Pérez Vidal & Ben Butler & Olivia Boyer
Photos by Cassie Roshu
Immigration courts heavily rely on remote interpreters. When things go wrong, it can have life-altering consequences.
Venezuelan mother worries family will be separated
Story by Elany Romero Cruz
Photos by Ike Wood
A Venezuelan mother recalls the fear of walking into immigration court, where every hearing carries uncertainty for families seeking to stay in the U.S.
ICE expansion after 9/11 attacks
Story by Cooper Andrews & Jack DiNapoli & Patricia Diaz
Photos by Ike Wood
The 9/11 attacks preceded the signing of the Homeland Security Act in 2002, which led to the creation of ICE. Now, it’s the U.S.'s highest-funded law enforcement agency.
Immigration courts backlog has grown since 2012
Story by Duncan Green & Brenne Sheehan
Photos by Ike Wood
Immigration cases have swelled since 2012. Though courts have moved faster the past two years, critics say the Trump admin’s “efficiency” comes at the expense of due process.
How Syracuse’s immigrants navigate a changing system
Story by Sara Oppenheimer & Evan Edmiston
Photos by Christine Kao
As backlogs grow and ICE enforcement expands, immigrants across New York face a process that feels more uncertain than ever.
Syracuse’s Italian Americans keep culture alive through charity
Story by Sofia Kissel
Photos by Rebecca Beckas
From shoe drives to church food pantries, Syracuse’s Italian Americans carry forward a legacy of generosity.