RFK Human Rights is calling for the shutdown of the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center (CLIPC) in Jena, Louisiana, following the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a student protest leader. The facility is operated by private prison company GEO Group and has a documented record of human rights violations, including medical neglect, physical and sexual abuse, solitary confinement used as retaliation, and denial of legal access. According to the organization, CLIPC previously recorded the highest number of sexual and physical abuse complaints of any ICE facility in the country. RFK Human Rights characterizes Khalil's detention as an attack on free speech and is demanding his release along with that of other detainees.
The Trump administration is developing a nationwide network of immigration detention centers, including plans to convert private warehouses and manufacturing facilities into holding facilities for those detained during immigration raids. Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy has been covering the story, which has drawn opposition from both Republican and Democratic local officials concerned about the placement of these facilities in their communities. Some communities are conducting public campaigns to discourage property owners from cooperating with the administration's plans, and legal challenges are anticipated.
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must permit unannounced oversight visits by lawmakers to ICE detention facilities. The ruling comes after the Department of Homeland Security implemented a policy requiring one week's advance notice before members of Congress could access detention centers.
A federal court has ordered the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to restore Congress members' ability to conduct unannounced oversight visits to immigration detention facilities, reaffirming their legal authority to inspect conditions. The ruling came after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem secretly reinstated a prior-notice requirement through an undisclosed memo, which was discovered only after multiple members of Congress were denied entry to a Minnesota facility despite holding a valid court order. The case, *Neguse et al. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement et al.*, was brought by more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers who argued the denial of entry interfered with their duty to investigate reported abuses, including overcrowding, denial of medical care, and lack of access to counsel.
Georgia state Sen. Jaha Howard has introduced two bills — Senate Bill 517, which would temporarily prohibit the establishment of ICE detention centers in Georgia from 2026 to 2028, and Senate Bill 549, which would ban state funding or support for such facilities. At the city level, South Fulton Councilmember Helen Zenobia Willis introduced a resolution to prevent warehouses from being converted into ICE detention centers through zoning regulations, which passed in a 5-2 vote. The measures come in response to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement push and reports that ICE and Homeland Security are purchasing industrial warehouses in multiple states, including Georgia, for use as detention facilities.
Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rick Scott (R-FL) sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on February 26, 2026, urging the Department of Justice to investigate Chinese-owned surrogacy agencies operating in the United States. The senators cited reports of more than 107 such agencies in Southern California alone, alleging they help wealthy Chinese clients obtain U.S. citizenship for their children, who are then raised in China under CCP influence. The letter raises national security concerns and requests information on potential federal violations, including immigration fraud and foreign-agent registration, with written responses due by March 13, 2026.
A federal habeas corpus case, *Aguilar Perez v. Bondi et al* (1:26-cv-21359), was filed on March 2, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The petitioner, Elder Geovany Aguilar Perez, has named several government officials as respondents, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons, and others with alleged custody over the petitioner.
Amid the Trump administration's expanded immigration enforcement, immigrant mothers and mothers partnered with undocumented immigrants across the United States are having difficult conversations with their children about how to respond to ICE encounters. These discussions — which include memorizing addresses, recording interactions, and staying silent with law enforcement — mirror the "Talk" that Black parents have long had with their children about police, and carry significant emotional and psychological burdens for both mothers and children. Research indicates that while practical safety directives can be beneficial, repeated exposure to immigration enforcement is linked to psychological distress and poor health outcomes in children. Many of these mothers report feeling ill-equipped, isolated, and grieved that their children must confront adult fears at an early age.
Middle Chuch in Manhattan's East Village held its second "ICE Out, Sing-In" service on February 26, drawing hundreds of attendees who were trained to use song as a form of non-violent protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The event, organized in coordination with the national network Interfaith Alliance and faith groups in Minneapolis, featured civil rights-era hymns and activist music performed by gospel and resistance choirs. The Singing Resistance movement began approximately six weeks ago in Minneapolis, where participants sang outside hotels housing ICE agents, and has since spread to churches and marches in other cities including New York.
A Minneapolis father describes the impact of intensified ICE enforcement operations on his family and community, following the January 7 shooting death of Renee Good by an immigration agent and a subsequent incident in which ICE agents deployed chemical irritants outside Roosevelt High School during student dismissal. The author details the emotional toll of explaining these events to his young children, alongside broader community disruptions including school closures, declining attendance, lockdowns, and families too fearful to leave their homes. He describes neighbors organizing mutual aid, standing guard outside schools, and using encrypted communications, while noting that the trauma extends beyond immigrant families to all residents of the city. The piece concludes with a partial drawdown announcement from border czar Tom Homan, though the author expresses skepticism and calls for continued community solidarity.
Michigan state and local officials are exploring multiple avenues to block a proposed ICE immigrant detention center in Romulus, including permit denials, zoning challenges, and potential legal action by Attorney General Dana Nessel. The Department of Homeland Security plans to convert a 473,158-square-foot warehouse into a secure detention facility, and ICE confirmed it has already purchased the property, estimating the project would create over 1,400 jobs and generate more than $33 million in tax revenue. Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight has pledged not to issue permits for the facility, and the city council unanimously passed a resolution opposing it, while a similar dispute is unfolding in Southfield over ICE office space. Legal experts note the federal government may have authority to preempt some local zoning laws, leaving officials with limited but still-contested options.
ICE has significantly expanded its operations under the Trump administration, receiving a funding boost estimated at $22 billion annually and conducting large-scale enforcement actions such as Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, which resulted in 3,000 arrests. The agency has faced criticism over the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, the detention of children including those with active asylum cases, and reports that 170 U.S. citizens were detained in the first nine months of Trump's second term. Concerns have been raised about ICE's growing role beyond immigration enforcement, including its presence at overseas diplomatic events and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon's stated intention to deploy agents at polling stations during the 2026 midterm elections. Critics argue these developments reflect a broader shift toward domestic surveillance and political militarization, raising questions about democratic oversight and civil liberties.
