Beyond the Border: ‘Mega’ immigration hearings, White-only refugee admissions and World Cup travel denials
Here's what happened this week in immigration news.
Written by Rami Alarian, Edited by Kate Morrissey
Welcome to another edition of Beyond the Border, which summarizes immigration news from across the country in a weekly roundup. Did we miss something? Message us via kate@daylightsandiego.org or on Instagram.
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‘Mega’ immigration hearings
NPR reported that some immigration courts across the U.S. have been dramatically increasing the number of hearings on judges’ dockets in a day. The federal government is utilizing these “mega” hearings to order more people deported.
Louisiana Illuminator reported that New Orleans immigration courts that have typically only seen 40 or 50 hearings in the past are now seeing 100 people at a time.
The Washington Post reported that a San Antonio judge who heard143 cases in one day. That judge said in court that she is getting pressured to move quickly and address cases before the end of the year.
The Justice Department said the administration is using the strategy to try to clear the court backlog, The New York Times reported.
The National Immigrant Justice Center created a guide for people facing these kinds of proceedings and how to fill out the paperwork sometimes involved called “Respondent's Pleading Declaration. Immigrant ARC, which provides resources for immigrants in New York, also issued a guide.
Coming to the U.S.
Mother Jones reported that so far in 2026, the only people brought to the U.S. through the refugee resettlement program were White South Africans.
The New York Times reported that a federal judge ruled that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must start making decisions on pending asylum applications as well as restart processing of visas for people from 39 countries that the Trump administration had paused last year.
World Cup
Al Jazeera reported that human rights experts have criticized the visa denials and complications for athletes and officials participating in the FIFA World Cup after the Trump administration blocked the entry of Somali referee Omar Artan.
Artan received a “hero’s welcome” when he arrived at the Mogadishu airport in Somalia, according to NPR.
The Athletic reported that the Trump administration has since accused the referee of having ties to alleged members of a terrorist organization.
The Guardian reported that an Iraqi player was held for seven hours and questioned at Chicago O’Hare International Airport while attempting to enter the country with the rest of the Iraqi team.
Immigration detention
ABC News reported that an immigrant from Georgia died last week in a detention center in Louisiana, marking the 50th person to die while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody during Trump’s administration and the 19th so far in 2026.
The Washington Post reported that ICE is no longer going to report deaths of people who recently left its custody.
The founder of GEO Group, a private prison company that has more than 20 ICE facilities, came to the U.S. through Ellis Island, CNN reported.
For nearly three weeks, people held in ICE’s Delaney Hall mega-jail have been on strike with demands to speak with the governor of New Jersey, Mother Jones reported.
The New York Times reported that a protester was hit by a car leaving Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center in Newark.
Other Stories to Watch
The Washington Post reported that a whistleblower said the Social Security Administration had planned to mark 2.7 million living people as dead in order to worsen the financial situations of immigrants.
ICE plans to give local law enforcement agencies access to a facial recognition app that would scan databases for immigration status, 404 Media reported.
Trump administration “border czar” Tom Homan threatened to send “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” to New York City, The Guardian reported.
MinnPost reported that the number of asylum grants has dropped under the Trump administration at Fort Snelling Immigration Court, particularly for Somali asylum seekers.
The House of Representatives passed a $70 Billion immigration bill set to fund immigration enforcement through the rest of President Donald Trump’s term, The New York Times reported.
An immigration attorney is suing ICE for records after discovering a secret ICE watchlist database of immigration attorneys.
CBS News reported that the Trump administration is seeking to denaturalize 17 U.S. citizens that it has accused of immigration fraud.
Thanks for reading! Take care and stay well.
— Rami Alarian
