Criminalization

"El Norte." Central American women, one young, one elder, wrapped in traditional blankets.
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Sep 13, 2019 12:48PM EDT

Classic Film 'El Norte' Returns to Theaters For One Day Only

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the groundbreaking 1984 film about a family traveling to the United States will screen in theaters nationwide. As director Gregory Nava says: “The message of this film is needed much more today.”
Large group of people stand with backpacks on their backs as they wait for their chance to claim asylum in the United States.
Shani Saxon  Sep 11, 2019 12:43PM EDT

In Tijuana, A Volunteer-Managed List Determines Which U.S.-Bound Migrants Can Apply for Asylum

Migrant rights lawyer Soraya Vazquez: “People decide where they want to apply for asylum and should be able to ask for that right immediately. This prerequisite to join this list doesn’t exist in any law, and that’s why it’s illegal.”
Two women in pink tops sit on beds facing each other as they speak.
Shani Saxon  Sep 9, 2019 5:10PM EDT

Trump Administration Seeks to Delay Asylum Seekers From Obtaining Work Permits

The proposed legislation would do away with the current 30-day processing deadline, allowing immigration officials to take as long as they want to consider applications.
Two people standng in the muddy rode in Puerto Rico, shovels in hand, colorful buildings and blue sky behind them
Ayana Byrd  Sep 5, 2019 2:38PM EDT

Trump Administration Takes $400 Million From Puerto Rico Recovery to Fund Border Wall

It’s part of a $3.6 billion package pulled out of the Department of Defense’s budget to pay for 175 miles of barrier.
Black person's hand shown through prison cell bars.
Shani Saxon  Sep 4, 2019 5:12PM EDT

Harvard Students Push for University to Divest From Prisons

The young activists say their school should not invest in companies that profit from mass incarceration.
Ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate scoops on a cone.
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Sep 4, 2019 10:52AM EDT

Ben & Jerry's Remixes Ice Cream for Social Justice

The brand’s newest flavor, Justice ReMix’d, was created “to spotlight structural racism in a broken criminal legal system.”
A large sign reads Ambulance over the Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Shani Saxon  Sep 3, 2019 3:37PM EDT

Trump Administration Reverses Plan to End Deportation Protections for Sick Migrants

Immigrants of undocumented status who are seeking life-saving treatment in the United States will still have the opportunity to defer deportation.
Large group of people sit in a straight line on the ground in front of a large southern border fence.
Shani Saxon  Aug 28, 2019 5:08PM EDT

Homeland Security Takes Millions From FEMA to Fund Border Programs

Just in time for hurricane season, the Department of Homeland Security commandeers $271 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard to cover costs associated with detaining immigrants.
Doctors and nurses hold signs protesting family separation.
Shani Saxon  Aug 27, 2019 5:17PM EDT

Trump Admin Threatens Migrants Seeking Life-Saving Medical Care With Deportation

Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.): “This is a new low. Donald Trump is literally deporting kids with cancer.”
Dark green statue of Justice magnified through black camera lens on red brick and brown stone walkway in front of brown building and white car
Shani Saxon  Aug 26, 2019 5:45PM EDT

Landmark Case Set to Expose Racial Bias In Capital Punishment

“They feared that breaking the link between the death penalty and race would remove too many people from death row. They decided they were willing to accept racial bias to keep the death penalty.”
A young Brown girl sitting between two older Brown girls holds up a sign that says, "Defund Hate. Invest in Love"
Bill McCamley  Aug 22, 2019 4:37PM EDT

Message to the States: Say No to ICE Data Requests [Op-Ed]

The New Mexico Workforce Solutions Department argues that mass immigration raids like those in Mississippi endanger everyone in the community because they silence crime victims and witnesses. Their advice: Just say no when ICE comes calling for sensitive data. 
Small child with dark hair looks sad as as she sits with her mother in front of a wire gate.
Shani Saxon  Aug 21, 2019 5:04PM EDT

Trump Admin Seeks to Detain Migrant Children Indefinitely

The federal government wants to end the Flores Settlement Agreement, which requires migrant children to be released from detention after 20 days. 
Large group of black-uniformed police officers gather on a sidewalk.
Shani Saxon  Aug 20, 2019 3:55PM EDT

California Passes One of Nation's Strictest Deadly Force Guidelines

The legislation says law enforcement officers can only use deadly force “when necessary to defend against an immediate, deadly threat to themselves or others.”
Long line of cars wait on a road under a large sign above that reads, Welcome to the United States.
Shani Saxon  Aug 19, 2019 5:20PM EDT

Advocates Sue Trump Administration Over Rule Targeting Immigrants of Color

“This rule change is a direct attack on communities of color and their families, and furthers this administration’s desire to make this country work primarily for the wealthy and White.”
Viveik Kalra. Brown boy smiles with a Bruce Springsteen poster in the background.
Deepa Iyer  Aug 16, 2019 10:52AM EDT

In 'Blinded By The Light,' A Brown Immigrant Finds Himself in the Music of the Boss

Deepa Iyer writes about her personal connection to the immigrant story at the center of the new Bruce Springsteen-loving film.
Young girl with dark hair and a pink butterfly on her white t-shirt stands in front of a chainlink fence.
Shani Saxon  Aug 14, 2019 4:45PM EDT

D.C. Officials Oppose Plan to Shelter Migrant Children in Nation's Capital

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser: “Washington, D.C. will not be complicit in the inhumane practice of detaining migrant children in warehouses.”
Black man wearing brightly colored daishiki holds his arms out as he stands before a large group of police officers wearing riot gear.
Shani Saxon  Aug 13, 2019 3:29PM EDT

How Can Rethinking Policing Reverse the Mass Incarceration Epidemic?

A new report from the Vera Institute of Justice breaks down how a single negative interaction with a police officer can alter a life forever—and how a shift in how the nation approaches justice can prevent the criminalization of people of color.
George Takei. Elder Japanese-American man with short gray hair wearing blue suite jacket and striped shirt seated in front of sign reading "Terror."
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Aug 13, 2019 2:18PM EDT

George Takei: 'We've Reached A New, Grotesque Low'

The activist and actor—whose new television show is set in a WWII-era Japanese-American community—says the horror of America’s immigration policy is ongoing.
Protestors hold black and white sign that reads "Abolish ICE."
Shani Saxon  Aug 12, 2019 4:59PM EDT

Trump Administration Policy Change Privileges Wealthy Immigrants

“With one regulation, they are attempting to scratch two itches: one is penalizing immigrants for using public benefits that they are legally entitled to, and the other is cutting legal immigration in half.”
A Black man wearing a t-shirt that says "Ferguson is everywhere" protests at night.
As told to Bakari Kitwana  Aug 9, 2019 6:51PM EDT

Message From the Ferguson Grassroots, 5 Years After Michael Brown's Death

Five years after the Michael Brown Rebellion, key activists and organizers weigh in on the impact of their local movement.