- The administration announced that David Venturella, a former executive at the GEO Group, will replace Todd Lyons as the acting head of ICE. Venturella left the GEO Group in 2023 and has recently been working at ICE overseeing detention contracts.
- Relatedly, a recent analysis by Politico found that federal judges have ruled against mandatory detention of immigrants in over 10,000 cases since the start of the second Trump Administration. Politico points out that over 400 judges, including a majority of those appointed by Trump, have ruled against detention. A previous analysis by the outlet detailed how ICE has sought to thwart the will of the courts in detention cases.
- DHS is looking to change the requirements around F/students visas. This proposed rule is not public yet, so the details are not known, but a prior proposal from the administration would have limited F visas to 4 years and made automatic renewals of EADs far more difficult. We anticipate the new proposal to be published in the federal register in the next few weeks to be followed by a 30-day comment period before it goes into effect. MIRA will provide more details once the proposed rule is made public.
- According to media reports, officials in Florida are preparing contractors to shut down “Alligator Alcatraz”. The open-air detention center in the Florida swamps opened last summer to much fanfare from the administration and Governor Ron DeSantis and quickly gained a reputation for deplorable conditions. State officials have not confirmed that the facility is closing, but the reports indicate that operations could wind down next month.
- The administration continues to use racist, conspiracy-tinged language when talking to the rest of the world. On Monday, the administration rejected the efforts of the United Nations International Migration Forum, arguing in its press release that, “[t]he United States has persistently objected to the United Nations’ efforts to advocate and facilitate replacement immigration in the United States and across the broader West.” Trump has repeatedly espoused his belief in the once-fringe Great Replacement Theory. During the 2024 campaign, Trump and his allies repeatedly referred to the theory on the campaign trail. After becoming president again, he used a speech at the UN to chastise our allies in Europe for their immigration policies, which he frames as a threat to their culture. The racism of the administration is no longer stunning, but it is still stunning how open they are willing to be about it.