On the Docket
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.
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.
Fighting for immigrants amid policy shifts
Story by Grace Lewis
An Omaha lawyer fights for clients caught in immigration system overhaul.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What is a habeas corpus petition?
Story by Laura Robertson & Mikayla Melo
Explaining one of the only ways detained migrants can be released from ICE detention.
Immigration Court Guide
Story by Project Staff
Explore the Executive Office for Immigration Review immigration courts across the United States including court address and responsibilities.
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..
Enforcement
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.
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.
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.
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, devasting the wife and sons he left behind.
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.
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."
Journeys
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.
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.
Policy changes disrupt agricultural workforce
Story by Ruth Bailey
Nebraskans face uncertainty as new immigration policy changes disrupt agricultural workforce.
Suddenly uprooted
Story by Delia Rose Sauer & Vera Lucia Pappaterra
Here's what happens to immigrants deported from Florida to their home countries.
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.
European hockey prospects fight for their spot in the NHL
Story by Will Broad & Josh Solomon
Photos by Ike Wood
European hockey players dream of making it to the NHL, but the journey to first playing in the American Hockey League isn’t easy.
Making time for traditions
Story by Kira Desai & Olivia Boyer & Maya Aguirre
Some U.S. immigrants and international students follow two different calendars and work harder to maintain their traditions from home.
International students come to US to chase their dreams
Story by Trinity Corbett & Kyra Wood & James Mullarkey & Max Olson
International students come to the United States in search of opportunity, but the journey requires them to navigate unfamiliar environments and redefine what home and belonging mean.
How international students navigate collegiate soccer
Story by Rohan Borges & Felipe Ferraz de Souza Miranda
Photos by Ella Chan
International soccer players at Bryant & Stratton College take the field knowing the stakes.
“Not a real Haitian”
Story by Jai’La Du Rousseau
Schneider Joachim is sometimes shunned by other Haitian immigrants for not speaking Creole well. Now, he leans into his heritage by starting a Creole food truck in Syracuse.
Bulgarian coach was ‘en garde’ for a new beginning
Story by Lauren Jones & Alex Rubinson
Photos by Ella Chan
Immigrant Lubomir Kalpaktchiev is fulfilling his dream with the Syracuse Musketeers Fencing Club.
Immigrants and ethnic eats fuel Salt City in Syracuse
Story by Jai’La Du Rousseau
Salt City Market’s leaders say they had to be intentional about creating spaces for immigrant entrepreneurs to thrive.
SU student’s nonprofit delivers food to Kenya
Story by Jai’La Du Rousseau
Founded by Abdul Rahman Abdi, a refugee who came to Syracuse, Sadaqa Foundation Inc. provides food to communities in Kenya.
The System
On the road: South Omaha to ‘Cornhusker Clink’
Story by Justin Diep
A freshman senator fights for Nebraska’s immigrant community.
“We couldn’t take it anymore”
Story by Bea Anhuci
Fear of immigration arrests near schools in Florida are reducing enrollment.
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.
Students shut out
Story by Angelique Rodriguez & Oriana Torre
A new proposal would block immigrants unlawfully in the U.S. from attending Florida colleges.
Out of ICE detention, a Syracuse man still lives in fear of deportation
Story by Laura Robertson & Mikayla Melo
Photos by Liam Kennedy
When ICE detained Rafael, his family relied on TikTok, Instagram reels and themselves.
Your judge may matter more than your immigration case
Story by Laura Robertson & Mikayla Melo
For detained immigrants filing habeas corpus petitions, the luck of the judicial draw could mean the difference between freedom and remaining in detention.
Syracuse Cuban couple detained amid Trump immigration crackdown
Photos by Ella Chan & Cassie Roshu
Story by Anna Momo
A same-sex Cuban couple from Syracuse was poised to receive asylum. Then they were ordered to be deported.
‘It’s modern slavery’
Story by Elany Romero Cruz
New York’s dairy industry depends on immigrant labor, who find themselves under siege and in an increasingly difficult situation as a result of the federal immigration crackdown. Advocates say passage of the New York for All Act would help.