Immigration
Follow the latest Immigration news, videos, and analysis from ABC News.
May 25, 2025 at 2:33 AM

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil takes the stand in bid for asylum

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who has been detained since his arrest in March, took the stand Thursday during a hearing on his immigration status.
May 25, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is seen at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the Columbia University campus in New York, April 29, 2024.
May 23, 2025 at 4:21 PM

‘I was terrified’: Georgia teen detained by ICE reunited with family

Ximena Arias-Cristobal was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, after her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn.
May 23, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Ximena Arias-Cristobal was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, after her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn.
May 23, 2025 at 11:09 AM

Georgia teen detained by ICE after mistaken traffic stop granted bond: Attorney

During a bond hearing on Wednesday, Ximena Arias-Cristobal was granted $1,500 bond, the minimal amount possible under the law, according to her attorney.
May 23, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Arias-Cristobal, 19, was detained by ICE after being mistakenly stopped for a traffic infraction she did not commit.
May 22, 2025 at 10:46 AM

Judge rules DHS violated court order in deporting 8 migrants to South Sudan

A judge ruled that the Trump administration's deportations of eight men convicted of violent crimes to South Sudan was "unquestionably violative of this Court's order."
May 22, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Madison Sheahan, with Acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons, speaks during a news conference at ICE Headquarters, in Washington, May 21, 2025.
May 22, 2025 at 4:51 AM

Attorney of deported migrant: 'The truth is, I don't know where my client is'

ABC News’ Linsey Davis spoke with attorney Jonathan Ryan, who represents one of eight migrants believed to have been deported to a country that is not their own.
May 22, 2025 at 4:51 AM
VIDEO: Attorney of deported migrant: 'The truth is, I don't know where my client is'
May 21, 2025 at 10:06 PM

Judge rules DHS violated court order in deporting 8 migrants to South Sudan

A judge ruled that the Trump administration's deportations of eight men convicted of violent crimes to South Sudan was "unquestionably violative of this Court's order."
May 21, 2025 at 10:06 PM
VIDEO: Judge rules DHS violated court order in deporting 8 migrants to South Sudan
May 21, 2025 at 5:30 PM

Kristi Noem fumbles habeas corpus, denies DHS will host citizenship TV show

Kristi Noem incorrectly responded to a question on the definition of habeas corpus during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing.
May 21, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, testifies before a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on Capitol Hill, May 20, 2025, in Washington.
May 21, 2025 at 5:25 PM

Judge orders Trump admin. to maintain custody of migrants deported to South Sudan 

Immigration attorneys say they believe the Trump administration deported at least 12 men to South Sudan on Tuesday potentially defying a court order.
May 21, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Detainees play outside during a media tour of the Port Isabel Detention Center (PIDC), hosted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Harlingen Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), in Los Fresnos, Texas, June 10, 2024. Behind barbed metal fences topped with barbed wire, men play volleyball and basketball at a detention center in Texas, passing time as they wait to hear if they will be allowed to stay in the United States.
May 21, 2025 at 4:36 PM

Migrants allegedly deported to South Sudan committed ‘barbaric’ crimes: DHS official

ABC News’ Shannon Kingston reports on the Trump administration’s possible violation of an order barring deportations of migrants to countries other than their own.
May 21, 2025 at 4:36 PM
VIDEO: Migrants allegedly deported to South Sudan committed ‘barbaric’ crimes: DHS official
May 21, 2025 at 2:11 PM

Trump administration allegedly deported migrants against court order

A federal judge in Boston demanded answers from the Trump administration about whether or not the government deported migrants to South Sudan without due process.
May 21, 2025 at 2:11 PM
VIDEO: Trump administration allegedly deported migrants against court order
May 21, 2025 at 7:31 AM

Kristi Noem defends Trump administration’s migrant deportations without due process

The Homeland Security secretary defended the Trump administration’s migrant deportations – without due process – and incorrectly responded to a lawmaker's question on the definition of habeas corpus.
May 21, 2025 at 7:31 AM
VIDEO: Kristi Noem defends Trump administration’s migrant deportations without due process
May 21, 2025 at 7:06 AM

They crossed the border for better schools. Now, some families are leaving the US

Even as immigrants in the U.S. avoid going out in public, terrified of encountering immigration authorities, families across the country are mostly sending their children to school — but that’s not to say they feel safe in this country
May 21, 2025 at 7:06 AM
A second grader uses his hands to do math at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Rebecca Slezak)
May 20, 2025 at 8:31 PM

Rubio, Van Hollen spar in contentious exchange over deportations

Marco Rubio returned to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday to defend the president's foreign policy and the administration's budget priorities.
May 20, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Marco Rubio returned to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday to defend the president's foreign policy and the administration's budget priorities.
May 20, 2025 at 8:22 PM

Judge orders government to report steps it's taken to return Venezuelan man to US

A judge has ordered the Trump administration to report "the steps they have taken" to facilitate the return of a deported 20-year-old Venezuelan man to the U.S.
May 20, 2025 at 8:22 PM
A Salvadoran soldier stands guard at the CECOT prison, in Tecoluca, El Salvador April 4, 2025.
May 20, 2025 at 7:39 PM

Van Hollen slams Rubio in contentious exchange over deportations and Abrego Garcia

Marco Rubio returned to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday to defend the president's foreign policy and the administration's budget priorities.
May 20, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as he testifies at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on President Donald Trump's State Department budget request for the Department of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 20, 2025.
May 20, 2025 at 4:51 PM

Charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver spark backlash after incident with ICE agents

U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was charged on Monday for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers outside of an ICE detention facility earlier this month. 
May 20, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Rep. LaMonica McIver speaks during a news conference with the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the Capitol Visitor Center to oppose Elon Musk gaining access to the Treasury Department's federal payment system, February 6, 2025.
May 20, 2025 at 4:43 PM

SCOTUS allows White House to end protections for 350,000 Venezuelans in US

The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to remove Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans who were protected from deportation and allowed to work in the U.S.
May 20, 2025 at 4:43 PM
VIDEO: SCOTUS allows White House to end protections for 350,000 Venezuelans in US
May 20, 2025 at 6:43 AM

US sends 68 migrants back to Honduras and Colombia in first voluntary deportation

The United States has sent 68 immigrants from Honduras and Colombia back to their countries in the first government-funded flight of what the Trump administration is calling voluntary deportations
May 20, 2025 at 6:43 AM
A Honduran migrant who returned voluntarily from the United States walks after arriving at Ramon Villeda Morales Airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)
May 20, 2025 at 12:26 AM

Appeals court sides with Venezuelan man seeking return to US from El Salvador

The man, identified in court records by the pseudonym "Cristian," was removed to El Salvador in mid-March.
May 20, 2025 at 12:26 AM
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the US in San Salvador, El Salvador on March 16, 2025. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country's infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
May 19, 2025 at 6:20 PM

Supreme Court allows Trump admin to end protected status for Venezuelan immigrants

The Supreme Court allowed the Trump admin to terminate protected status for 350,000 Venezuelans who were protected from deportation and allowed to work in the U.S.
May 19, 2025 at 6:20 PM
VIDEO: Supreme Court allows Trump admin to end protected status for Venezuelan immigrants
May 19, 2025 at 3:04 PM

Timeline: Wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador

Here's how the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to his home country of El Salvador despite a court order barring his deportation there, has progressed.
May 19, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Undated photo provided by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, a man identified by Jennifer Vasquez Sura as her husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is led by force by guards through the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador.
May 17, 2025 at 2:13 PM

Families separated by 'zero-tolerance' policy at risk of separation again, ACLU says

Under a 2023 settlement agreement, the federal government agreed to provide behavioral health and legal services.
May 17, 2025 at 2:13 PM
 Central American asylum seekers wait as U.S. Border Patrol agents take them into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas. The families were then sent to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing center for possible separation. U.S. border authorities are executing the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy towards undocumented immigrants. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also said that domestic and gang violence in immigrants' country of origin would no longer qualify them for political asylum status.
May 17, 2025 at 3:28 AM

'Significant harm' to nat'l security if info about Abrego Garcia case released: Rubio

The judge in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case reprimanded the government for not providing enough basis for her to determine if information in the case should be privileged.
May 17, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, joins supporters rallying for Garcia's return from El Salvador prior to a status hearing outside the federal court house in Greenbelt, Maryland, May 16, 2025.
May 16, 2025 at 10:52 PM

Supreme Court maintains temporary block on Alien Enemies Act deportations

The Supreme Court extended its temporary hold on President Donald Trump's executive order to deport migrants using the Alien Enemies Act.
May 16, 2025 at 10:52 PM
The U.S. Supreme Court, May 14, 2025 in Washington.
May 16, 2025 at 4:33 PM

Judge in Abrego Garcia case to hear arguments over state secrets privilege

A federal judge is set to hear arguments on Friday over the Trump administration's invocation of the state secrets privilege in the case of wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
May 16, 2025 at 4:33 PM
A federal judge is set to hear arguments on Friday over the Trump administration's invocation of the state secrets privilege in the case of wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
May 16, 2025 at 1:11 PM

Supreme Court hears arguments about birthright citizenship order

The Supreme Court appears conflicted over President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order to end birthright citizenship, something he promised on the campaign trail.
May 16, 2025 at 1:11 PM
VIDEO: Supreme Court hears arguments about birthright citizenship order
May 16, 2025 at 11:40 AM

Birthright citizenship explained as justices weigh blocks on Trump's order to end it

The Supreme Court heard arguments over President Donald Trump’s effort to roll back nationwide injunctions blocking his executive order on birthright citizenship.
May 16, 2025 at 11:40 AM
The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Jan. 10, 2025.
May 16, 2025 at 8:31 AM

Supreme Court weighs landmark case on birthright citizenship, nationwide injunctions

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over Pres. Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, and whether lower court judges have the ability to block the president's policies nationwide.
May 16, 2025 at 8:31 AM
VIDEO: Supreme Court weighs landmark case on birthright citizenship, nationwide injunctions
May 16, 2025 at 6:45 AM

Asylum-seekers still arrive at the US border, but what will happen to them?

Asylum-seekers from around the world face new challenges at the U.S. border
May 16, 2025 at 6:45 AM
A man takes an image with his phone next to where the border wall separating Mexico and the United States reaches the Pacific Ocean Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
May 16, 2025 at 3:42 AM

Supreme Court hears arguments on birthright citizenship order, injunctions

ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos spoke with Hofstra University law professor James Sample about how the justices’ decision could impact the power of lower courts moving forward.
May 16, 2025 at 3:42 AM
VIDEO: Supreme Court hears arguments on birthright citizenship order, injunctions
May 16, 2025 at 3:39 AM

Justices hear arguments in birthright citizenship case

The Supreme Court on Thursday heard oral arguments over President Donald Trump's emergency request to roll back nationwide injunctions blocking his executive order to end birthright citizenship.
May 16, 2025 at 3:39 AM
VIDEO: Justices hear arguments in birthright citizenship case
May 16, 2025 at 12:05 AM

Trespassing charges dismissed against 98 people arrested in buffer zone near border

A judge has dismissed trespassing charges against 98 people who were arrested along the Southwestern border for entering the newly created National Defense Area.
May 16, 2025 at 12:05 AM
U.S. Army Spc. Manuel Canabal from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, assigned to Joint Task Force - Southern Border and two U.S. border patrol agents discuss the operations of the mission at Santa Teresa, N.M., May 7, 2025., showing effective team collaboration at the New Mexico National Defense Area.
May 15, 2025 at 9:17 PM

Harvard researcher fears being returned to Russia after DOJ charges

The judge scheduled a bail hearing for May 28.
May 15, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The judge scheduled a bail hearing for May 28.
May 15, 2025 at 7:24 PM

Why a Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE says she can't be prosecuted

Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted on charges alleging she concealed a person from arrest and obstructed a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States.
May 15, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Judge Hannah Dugan poses for a photo in Milwaukee in 2016.
May 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM

How the Supreme Court is responding to arguments over birthright citizenship

ABC News’ Selina Wang and constitutional lawyer Jeff Lewis discuss what the Supreme Court justices need to consider in this case.
May 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
VIDEO: How the Supreme Court is responding to arguments over birthright citizenship
May 15, 2025 at 3:31 PM

Birthright citizenship injunction could create ‘patchwork of chaos’: Expert

ABC News’ Selina Wang and legal contributor Kim Wehle discuss President Donald Trump's emergency request to roll back nationwide injunctions blocking his executive order to end birthright citizenship.
May 15, 2025 at 3:31 PM
VIDEO: Birthright citizenship injunction could create ‘patchwork of chaos’: Expert
May 15, 2025 at 3:09 PM

Britain says it's talking with some countries to set up migrant return hubs

Britain's prime minister says his government is talking with several countries to host rejected asylum seekers as they wait to be deported
May 15, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, is welcomed by Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama at the Kryeministria in Tirana, Albania, Thursday May 15, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool via AP)
May 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM

Supreme Court takes up birthright citizenship

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over President Donald Trump's emergency request to roll back nationwide injunctions blocking his executive order to end birthright citizenship.
May 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over President Donald Trump's emergency request to roll back nationwide injunctions blocking his executive order to end birthright citizenship.
May 15, 2025 at 6:36 AM

New militarized border zone spurs charges against hundreds of immigrants

Several hundred immigrants have been charged with unauthorized access to a newly designated militarized zone along the southern U.S. border in New Mexico and Western Texas since the Department of Justice introduced the new approach
May 15, 2025 at 6:36 AM
FILE - Army soldiers look at the border wall next to a surveillance vehicle during the visit to the U.S. and Mexico border by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Sunland Park, N.M., Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)
May 15, 2025 at 2:06 AM

Venezuelan toddler who was kept in US after parents' deportation returns to Venezuela

The Venezuelan 2-year-old who was kept in U.S. government custody after her parents were deported has been returned to Venezuela.
May 15, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Venezuela first lady Cilia Flores and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello watch as 2-year-old Maikelys Espinoza is reunited with her mother Yorely Escarleth Bernal Inciarte at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, May 14, 2025.
May 14, 2025 at 10:56 PM

DOJ charges Harvard researcher who expressed fears over being returned to Russia

The DOJ has federally charged Kseniia Petrova, the Harvard researcher who was found by a customs agent to be carrying undeclared frog embryos.
May 14, 2025 at 10:56 PM
An undated handout photo of Kseniia Petrova.
May 14, 2025 at 10:41 PM

Dems say it's a 'sad day for DHS' under Noem's leadership in fiery House hearing

Secretary Kristi Noem came under fire from House Democrats while testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee on her department's 2026 budget on Wednesday.
May 14, 2025 at 10:41 PM
 Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a hearing with the House Homeland Security Committee on Capitol Hill on May 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
May 14, 2025 at 10:09 PM

Great-grandson of Wong Kim Ark speaks out to defend birthright citizenship

Norman Wong says he is witnessing the dismantling of his family's legacy, as President Donald Trump attempts to use an executive order to eliminate birthright citizenship.
May 14, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Great-grandson of Wong Kim Ark speaks out to defend birthright citizenship
May 14, 2025 at 9:08 PM

Georgetown scholar released from ICE custody after judge's ruling

Judge Patricia Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia had ordered the visiting scholar, Dr. Badar Khan Suri, to be released on bail.
May 14, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Badar Khan Suri.
May 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM

College student detained by ICE after mistaken stop should self-deport: DHS

Despite the charges against a college student being dropped, the DHS is committed to ordering Ximena Arias-Cristobal and her father to self-deport.
May 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Arias-Cristobal, 19, was detained by ICE after being mistakenly stopped for a traffic infraction she did not commit.
May 14, 2025 at 4:34 PM

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on his arrest at ICE facility: 'They targeted me'

Ras Baraka, the Democratic mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was charged with trespassing, according to court documents.
May 14, 2025 at 4:34 PM
VIDEO: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on his arrest at ICE facility: 'They targeted me'
May 14, 2025 at 10:07 AM

Georgia college student remains in ICE custody after mistaken traffic stop

A 19-year-old college student from Georgia remains in ICE custody after a mistaken traffic violation led to her detainment, records show.
May 14, 2025 at 10:07 AM
A 19-year-old college student from Georgia remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after a mistaken traffic violation led to her detainment, records show.
May 13, 2025 at 10:17 PM

Federal judge in Pennsylvania rules that Trump's invocation of AEA is lawful

A federal judge has ruled that President Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged migrant gang members is lawful, in contrast to two other judges.
May 13, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Salvadoran prison guards escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the MS-13 gang recently deported by the U.S. government at the CECOT prison, in Tecoluca, El Salvador April 12, 2025.
May 13, 2025 at 9:10 PM

Georgia college student in ICE custody after mistaken traffic stop

Ximena Arias-Cristobal was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, after her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn.
May 13, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Ximena Arias-Cristobal was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, after her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn.
May 13, 2025 at 6:48 PM

Newark mayor arrested at ICE facility while joining Democrats to conduct 'oversight'

Baraka was charged with trespassing, according to court documents filed on Friday evening.
May 13, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka joins protesters outside of Delaney Hall, a recently re-opened immigration detention center, in Newark, N.J., May 7, 2025.