Beyond the Border: Visa applicants forced to leave, New Jersey protests and a prosecutor who won't charge protesters

Here's what happened this week in immigration news.

Written by Kate Morrissey, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp

Welcome to another edition of Beyond the Border, which summarizes immigration news from across the country in a weekly roundup. Did I miss something? Message me via kate@daylightsandiego.org or on Instagram.

Want to support this work? Consider donating to Daylight San Diego or email lauren@daylightsandiego.org if you're interested in sponsoring this newsletter.

Forced to leave

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued guidance that could mean people applying for green cards from within the country have to leave while their cases are processed, Al Jazeera reported. 

While the effects of the policy are still unclear, lawyers told PBS that the rule would likely scare people into not applying. 

Newsweek reported that the agency later clarified that H-1B visa holders who are applying for green cards will not have to leave.

Protests and hunger strikes in New Jersey

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials pepper-sprayed a U.S. senator outside of a New Jersey facility where people in the agency's custody are holding a hunger strike, The Guardian reported.

CNN reported that protests have continued outside the facility since then. 

KCRA reported that the hunger strikers are protesting “brutal” conditions, including spoiled food.

Detention conditions

The Associated Press reported that the number of suicide deaths in ICE custody during the second Trump administration is unprecedented. (If you or someone you know is needing support, you can call or text 988 in the U.S. to reach the national suicide and crisis lifeline or you can use an online chat.)

I reported for Capital & Main on the worsening conditions in California ICE detention facilities.

El Pais reported on the effects that detention and deportation are having on women, including abuse against those who are pregnant.

Voice of San Diego reported that a California legislator is trying to cap costs of goods sold in commissaries at ICE detention centers in the state.

Federal court updates

A federal judge blocked ICE from detaining and deporting survivors of abuse and trafficking who are waiting for visas. The Trump administration had changed rules around deportation protections for people with applications for U, T and VAWA visas. U visas are for victims of certain crimes, T visas are for victims of human trafficking and VAWA self-petitions are for domestic violence survivors who should have been able to get green cards through their abusive partners.

A federal judge sanctioned CoreCivic, a private prison company that operates many ICE detention facilities, after it destroyed video evidence that would've been used in a lawsuit over a detainee's suicide, The Intercept reported.

World Cup

The Associated Press reported that the Iranian soccer team competing in the World Cup will be based in Mexico instead of the U.S. during the competition, per an agreement reached between the countries.

Al Jazeera reported that immigrants hoping to cheer for their home countries in the World Cup are concerned about potential ICE raids.

Other stories to watch

POW Magazine reported that ICE detained rapper Frankie Jax No Mad and is holding him at a facility in Tacoma, Washington.

The Department of Homeland Security has threatened to stop international flights from arriving to cities where police do not assist ICE, Reuters reported.

Delays in processing renewals of permits for people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program have meant job losses and deportation fears, the Los Angeles Times reported. President Donald Trump previously tried to end the program altogether during his first administration, and program participants now see the delays as a new strategy in that fight.

The San Francisco Immigration Court has closed after most of its judges were fired or resigned, the Associated Press reported.

Underexposed interviewed photojournalist Michael Nigro about his work covering ICE arrests in the hallways of a New York immigration court.

The Boston Globe reported that a Vermont prosecutor is refusing to charge protesters who blocked entry to an ICE building because she said the agency's actions are unlawful.

Thanks for reading! Take care and stay well.

— Kate