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A medium-skin toned man and a woman stand in front of a checkpoint at the border of Mexico and Texas, in Laredo. One customs officer stands inside a booth across from them, and another customs officer stands nearby.

Immigrants and the Justice System

Immigration goes beyond the border — it’s deeply tied to policing, the courts and incarceration. Our coverage tracks how immigration laws are enforced, fact-checks political rhetoric, and examines the real-world consequences of detention, prosecution and deportation.

If you’d like to reach a reporter working on stories like these, please email us at immigration@themarshallproject.org.

Kirsten Luce for The Marshall Project
News
ICE Data Reveals What Happened to 1,600 People Arrested During Chicago’s Blitz
Most of those arrested were swiftly shuttled to a sprawling array of detention centers in 13 states, many with reports of troubling conditions.
Sheriff’s officers in brown uniforms stand in front of a white bus in motion in a parking lot.
A collage of photos and illustrations. Clockwise from top left: A collage illustration with images of the city of St. Louis, a river, two silhouetted heads and barbed wire; a black-and-white photo of a Black woman in a blouse facing away toward a gravestone; a Black woman holding a photo of a Black man while standing in a line of protesters; an illustration of a Black woman in a cream-colored prison uniform looking at the silhouette of a guard; an illustration of a cockroach; a photo of a gray-haired Black man kissing a Black woman's cheek; an illustration of a white sheet covering the outline of a body, in front of a teal background, with a death certificate printed on the lower part of the sheet and a person in a long orange skirt pushing it open like curtains and walking away into darkness inside; a photo of a line of police officers standing on a corner wearing riot gear and holding batons.
Analysis December 17
Some of Our Best Work of 2025
Online, in print, and on radio and TV — we examined Trump administration orders, immigration detention, deaths behind bars and more this year.
By
A photo shows four people, including two children, walking toward a complex of tan, one-story buildings.
News December 17
ICE Threw Thousands of Kids in Detention, Many For Longer Than Court-Prescribed Limit
Former immigration staffers argue ICE is choosing to detain families for prolonged periods to speed deportations and compel them to leave.
By and
Federal officers pepper spray two individuals during a protest. There are more protesters marching in the background.
News December 5
Federal Agents Pepper Spray Protesters During Tucson Taco Shop Raid
See video from the scene as ICE officers attempted to disperse a crowd in the street outside the taqueria.
By
A combination of four photos shows, clockwise from left, a man facing away from the camera, with medium-toned skin and short dark hair, wearing a black tank top, and with tattoos on his right arm; a woman with medium-toned skin and long dark hair, wearing a peach-colored top, sitting at a table while writing on a card; a woman facing away from the camera with medium-length brown hair and sunglasses on her head; a white house with green trimming and shutters; and a person's hand over a griddle folding a tortilla.
Feature December 5
In the Shadow of an Immigrant Detention Center, a Small House Offers Refuge
Amid rising ICE arrests, volunteers provide aid — a meal, a bed, gas money — to anyone visiting someone detained in remote rural Georgia.
By and Julieta Martinelli
Uniformed, masked federal agents arrest a man in a parking lot.
Analysis December 4
Why New Orleans Became Trump’s Newest Immigration Target
Recent legal changes, a Trump-friendly governor and a large immigration detention infrastructure could make the New Orleans crackdown easier for the administration.
By
A photo shows a close-up of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge hanging from the waist of a federal agent. The agent, who is wearing a blue suit, a silver bracelet and a watch, holds their hands together.
Closing Argument November 22
How ICE Is Making It Harder for Immigrants to Escape Domestic Violence
Increased enforcement and Trump’s policy changes are causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation, experts say.
By
A man in a purple shirt has his hands cuffed behind his back while facing an open car door. Four federal officers, wearing camouflage uniforms, vests, and helmets, stand around the man.
Closing Argument November 15
ICE Raids Kept On During the Shutdown, But the Detention Data Stayed Hidden
More than seven weeks have passed since the last comprehensive release of detention and deportation numbers.
By and
A photo of a Latina woman in her 60s with a medium skin tone and short hair sitting at a desk with a microphone. The woman is wearing a blazer and blouse while holding a stack of papers, and is looking up and to the side.
Q&A October 29
‘To Scare People to Death’: Former ICE Director Reviews Trump’s Immigration Tactics
“It has never been done in this way before,” said Sarah Saldaña, who led ICE when Obama was nicknamed the “Deporter-in-Chief.”
By
A photo shows a man with a medium skin tone and a olive green t-shirt holding his phone up toward a group law enforcement agents, who are standing in uniform on the other side of yellow police tape.
Closing Argument October 25
Behind ICE Blitz, Trump Dismantles Discretion in Immigration Enforcement
ICE’s crackdown in Chicago reflects a deeper reshaping of the immigration system toward a singular focus: removing people with little or no review.
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