Despite America’s diversity, governmental policies and practices continue to target the fundamental rights of our growing immigrant communities. From the expansion of the U.S. Department of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the implementation President Trump’s Muslim Ban, immigrant communities are facing new and growing hostility from those in positions of power.
We serve immigrant communities through various forms of advocacy targeting systemic injustice and fighting to protect the rights of immigrants and their children.
Key Cases
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Emad v. Wong, et al.
Immigrants' Rights
Mohamed Emad is a Palestinian immigrant from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Targeted and falsely labeled a terrorist by the Trump Administration, Mr. Emad was detained in March 2018. Mr. Emad came to the United States in 1994 and has not left the country in 25 years. Prior to his detention by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),...
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Pedrote-Salinas v. Johnson
Immigrants' Rights
The MacArthur Justice Center represented Mr. Pedrote-Salinas in a federal civil rights lawsuit targeting the Chicago Police Department's policy and practice of falsely labeling young men of color as gang members and then sharing that information with U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE). He is also a named Plaintiff in a federal class action lawsuit targeting the CPD’s Gang Database.
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Chicagoans for an End to the Gang Database v. City of Chicago
Police Abuse
The MacArthur Justice Center represents the Chicagoans for an End to the Gang Database, a coalition of individuals and community organizations, in a federal class action lawsuit against the City of Chicago and Chicago Police Department (CPD) targeting the widespread use of an inaccurate, racially discriminatory Gang Database.
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Hassoun v. Searls
Immigrants' Rights
Together with our partners at the University of Chicago Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the New York Civil Liberties Union, we are challenging the constitutionality of this unprecedented scheme of domestic indefinite detention. We are also challenging the grossly unfair procedures the government has used, under which the government made the...
Key Facts
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42 million
There are 42 million foreign-born people in the United States. A new immigrant arrives every 28 seconds. -
30% or more
In the majority of U.S. states over last decade, the number of foreign-born residents increased by 30 percent or more, with many of these new arrivals settling in suburban areas once virtually untouched by immigration. -
$324 billion
Since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, the federal government has spent an estimated $324 billion on the agencies that carry out immigration enforcement. -
More than $3 billion
In 2018, the US spent over $3 billion detaining immigrants.