The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a challenge to the Trump administration's policy requiring mandatory detention without bond hearings for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally and are facing deportation proceedings. The case represents a major test of one of the administration's most aggressive immigration enforcement measures.
The DOJ filed a judicial misconduct complaint against seven federal judges in Minnesota who spoke to the New York Times about the immigration enforcement surge in their state. Attorney General Todd Blanche alleged the judges made unethical political statements on pending cases, while one judge defended the interviews as within ethical rules.
Malaysia started repatriating approximately 1,500 Myanmar nationals under a voluntary program, defying objections from the United Nations refugee agency and rights groups who warn conditions in Myanmar remain unsafe.
More than two dozen UN human rights experts have warned that the Trump administration's policy of deporting migrants to third countries—nations other than their countries of origin—has triggered a cascade of human rights violations and puts migrants at heightened risk of abuse, torture, and persecution. The warning comes as the Justice Department asks the Supreme Court to revive the program.
U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dick Durbin introduced legislation to clarify existing requirements for immigration arrests and codify statutory procedures to prevent unlawful arrests and detentions by ICE. The bill aims to limit warrantless arrests and curb the agency's ability to indefinitely detain immigrants who do not pose a danger.
Venezuela has reached a deal to accept repatriation flights from the United States, as an appeals court panel appears divided on whether to order the Trump administration to facilitate the return of dozens of Venezuelan migrants who were deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador in 2024.
The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to use a controversial federal database to help states check voter citizenship before the midterm elections, despite concerns from civil rights groups about potential mass purges.
The Government Accountability Office found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement wasted over $20 million in its rushed effort to expand detention capacity under the Trump administration, including purchasing warehouses it now plans to sell and operating facilities with minimal detainees. The watchdog criticized ICE for lacking a comprehensive plan for its $45 billion detention expansion.
Over 55,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed into eastern Chad this year, with the UN refugee agency reporting approximately 400 people per day now fleeing—about 20 times the previous daily rate. The UN is calling for increased funding to address the humanitarian crisis.
U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy struck down a Trump administration directive that would have prevented certain immigrants, including those in the country illegally, from accessing Head Start preschools and other federal welfare programs. The ruling blocked the administration's reinterpretation of federal law regarding immigrant eligibility for taxpayer-funded benefits.
The Department of Justice has charged at least 16 people across multiple states with voter fraud, while Homeland Security reports approximately 1,600 cases and 160 arrests of noncitizens illegally registered on state voter rolls. The crackdown comes ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with cases including three noncitizens in Georgia charged with voting in federal elections.
The Trump administration has informed Congress it intends to accept 17,500 refugees in fiscal year 2027, with the majority being white South Africans, primarily Afrikaners, who the administration claims face racial discrimination and persecution. South Africa disputes claims of systematic persecution against the group.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has quietly stopped publicly disclosing the locations of thousands of detainees who are subject to final deportation orders. The unannounced change to ICE's online detainee locator system has made it significantly harder for lawyers, family members, and advocates to find and contact detained immigrants.
Dutch riot police broke up a far-right demonstration of several hundred protesters in The Hague on September 19 after violence erupted, with demonstrators pelting police with fireworks and chanting antisemitic slogans. Local authorities banned the planned march against immigration and asylum.
The Trump administration has deported over 25,000 people to countries that are not their own under secretive agreements with 35 nations, according to an investigation by Forbidden Stories and international media outlets. Stephen Miller is spearheading an unprecedented White House effort to accelerate removals of undocumented immigrant children and expand third-country deportations.
The European Union expressed regret over the United States' decision to deny entry visas for the second consecutive year to members of the Palestinian delegation seeking to attend the UN General Assembly session in New York. The UN will allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the assembly via prerecorded video instead.
President Trump extended an executive order imposing a $100,000 fee for H-1B non-immigrant visas until September 2027, despite a US court having vacated the fee. The extension maintains pressure on employers seeking to hire skilled foreign workers, particularly affecting Indian professionals.
Spanish authorities began relocating hundreds of migrants from beaches in Ceuta to a new tented facility in the port area, with police firing rubber bullets and shots in the air to control crowds. About 10,000 migrants remain in the Spanish enclave following an unprecedented mass border crossing from Morocco in late July that saw 75,000-85,000 people enter the territory.
U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued a preliminary injunction blocking immigration officers from making warrantless civil arrests in Southern California unless they determine a person is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. The order, granted on September 2 and unsealed on September 16, came in response to an ACLU lawsuit.
The International Organization for Migration reports that migrant arrivals to Europe by sea have dropped by over a third in 2026, but more than 2,200 people have died or disappeared on increasingly dangerous journeys. The decline comes amid tougher migration policies, though images from Spain's Ceuta enclave continue to fuel far-right support across the EU.
Christian Castro, a federal immigration officer, was arrested in Minneapolis and appeared in court to face state and federal charges for shooting and wounding a Venezuelan man in January 2026 and lying about the circumstances. The arrest came eight months after the incident and followed a protracted extradition dispute between Minnesota and Texas that was ultimately dropped.
The Trump administration's intensified immigration enforcement, including sending undocumented children to unlicensed Texas facilities and targeting pro-Palestinian international students, has triggered legal restrictions in California, Republican defections in Miami, and increased activism among young Latinos. The crackdown is emerging as a major issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a three-term Republican representing Miami, released a campaign ad criticizing President Trump's mass deportation operations, telling him that Hispanic voters who helped elect him in 2024 now 'feel betrayed.' The ad represents a notable break with Trump ahead of the midterm elections.
Human Rights Watch released a report revealing the United States has deported more than 25,000 migrants to 35 third countries with which they have no ties since Trump returned to office in 2025. The report provides rare insight into the hardships faced by deportees, particularly those sent to gang-ravaged Haiti.
The Trump administration has proposed a new rule to exclude noncitizens from the census count used for congressional apportionment, overruling internal Treasury Department concerns. The move could significantly shift House seats away from Democratic states with larger immigrant populations ahead of the next presidential election.
Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Greece agreed on a common model for deportation centers in non-EU countries where rejected asylum seekers would be sent. The countries aim to negotiate agreements with partner nations by early 2027, though specific host countries have not been disclosed.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told parliament that Spain has found no evidence Morocco planned or facilitated July's deadly mass border breach into Ceuta, contradicting allegations in a Spanish police report. The embattled leader faces intense pressure from opposition parties and protesters over the government's handling of the crisis.
A US federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's policy suspending immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries was contrary to law and exceeded the State Department's legal authority. The decision, issued on Friday, marks a significant setback to the administration's immigration enforcement efforts.
The Liberian government has agreed to accept up to 1,200 deportees from third countries being expelled from the United States over the next year. The first group of approximately 20 deportees is expected to arrive in the West African nation shortly.
Morocco has reinforced security along its borders with the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla following social media calls for mass migrant crossings, raising concerns of a repeat of last month's surge when tens of thousands rushed the border. Spain's Civil Guard has stated the border will remain closed.
The Justice Department charged 11 people in connection with a decade-long immigration fraud scheme that allegedly arranged approximately 1,000 sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens to help the foreign nationals obtain legal immigration status and green cards.
Social media platforms Meta and TikTok have agreed to fact-check content about border crossings into Spain following a massive and deadly rush to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in late July. The agreement was announced by EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen.
Latvia announced the discovery of a tunnel under its border with Belarus on Tuesday and vowed to combat people smuggling networks that authorities say are facilitating a growing number of illegal border crossings.
Multiple federal judges ruled this week that the Trump administration can terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of migrants from South Sudan, Myanmar, and Haiti, following a Supreme Court decision in June that limited judicial review of such determinations.
Spain announced it will establish border controls on all flights and ships from Italy from midnight Saturday until September 7, retaliating after Rome imposed similar measures following a mass influx of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into Spain's North African territory of Ceuta.
Spanish authorities, working with Europol and police from France, Portugal and Poland, dismantled one of the largest criminal networks operating in the western Mediterranean, responsible for smuggling over 2,000 migrants and generating more than €24 million in profits. The operation also targeted drug and weapons trafficking.
European law enforcement arrested three Syrian nationals suspected of leading migrant-smuggling networks in a coordinated operation involving 240 officers across Germany and Serbia. The networks allegedly smuggled more than 900 migrants along Mediterranean and Balkan routes.
South Africa is pushing for Africa-wide migration discussions following violent anti-immigration protests that forced migrants to flee the country, coinciding with a separate border crisis in Spain's Ceuta where tens of thousands crossed from Morocco. The dual crises have elevated migration as a continental priority.
Malaysian government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil announced that Malaysia will not proceed with plans to repatriate 5,000 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar if screening determines they face persecution or threats to their lives upon return. The statement comes amid criticism from human rights groups over the planned forced return.
Deadly monsoon flooding across Assam and Gujarat killed at least 50 people and displaced roughly 700,000, with the Brahmaputra River submerging nearly 900 villages. Rescue operations continued as infrastructure damage prompted school closures in affected districts.
Immigrant employment in the European Union rose to a record high in 2025, narrowing the gap with native-born workers but still leaving significant labor potential untapped, according to a report from the ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin.
Malaysia has directed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to temporarily halt refugee registrations while the government restructures implementation of its domestic Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme. UNHCR said about 215,600 refugees and asylum-seekers were registered with it in Malaysia at the end of February 2026.
The Trump administration has weighed severing relations with UNHCR in recent weeks, prompting urgent diplomatic efforts by UN officials and international diplomats to persuade the United States to maintain its support for the refugee agency.
The UN refugee agency reported that 144 people were dead or missing following maritime incidents off Mauritania's coast last week. In the deadliest incident, UNHCR said 143 people were reported dead or missing from a boat that left The Gambia and was rescued after nearly 25 days at sea, while 38 survivors were brought ashore in Nouadhibou.
Two vessels carrying more than 500 people, believed to be Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar, are feared to have capsized off the country's coast in recent days. UN agencies IOM and UNHCR expressed deep concern over the maritime tragedy.
The Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group has surrounded el-Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, trapping approximately 500,000 civilians amid constant drone strikes. Fears are mounting that the city could face a massacre similar to the prolonged siege of el-Fasher.
