Americans for Immigrant Justice

🚨⬇️ “DHS Shuts Down its Immigration Detention Watchdog”

➡️New reporting from NOTUS: “The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it has shut down an office dedicated to exposing misconduct at immigration detention facilities.”

➡️ NOTUS reports further: “The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and its website, which served as places people could report violations of immigrants’ rights, are now both shuttered. The office is empty and the website is archived.”

➡️NOTUS points out: “This closure comes at a time when there is a lack of oversight of immigration centers, as well as a surge in detainees. A record high of 73,000 immigration detainees was reached in mid-January.”

Americans for Immigrant Justice is the only statewide immigrant defense nonprofit providing free services to low-income people in all seven immigration detention facilities in Florida. Without our support, countless people would have to face the immigration legal system alone.

To support our work and mission, please donate at aijustice.org/defense-fund or sign up to volunteer at aijustice.org/volunteer 🔗

New information about deportation deals ⬇️

The U.S. is expanding a global system of third-country deportation agreements, sending immigrants not back to their home countries, but to nations they have never been to, across Africa, Latin America, and beyond.

The U.S. Secretary of State recently confirmed that the State Department now has agreements with 20 countries to deport immigrants. A study by Human Rights First and Refugees International has tracked around 30 agreements.

The study also found:
- More than 17,500 people have been transferred to third countries since January 2025.
- The U.S. has paid at least $44 million to third-country governments in direct connection with the agreements.

We are seriously concerned about human rights violations and lack of due process protections.

With our coalition, we have elevated concerns about third-country deportations to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the African Commission, U.S. congressional offices, among others.

At Americans for Immigrant Justice, we continue to offer free legal representation to low-income immigrant families so no one is left unprotected in moments of crisis.

🖤 Defend dignity. Protect families.

👉 Support our work: aijustice.com/donate

🧒⚖️ Incluso niños y niñas no acompañados pueden verse obligados a comparecer solos ante un tribunal de inmigración.

🤝💙 Americans for Immigrant Justice trabaja incansablemente para mantener a las familias informadas, empoderadas y unidas.

💛 Tu donación de $15 o más al Fondo de Defensa para Familias Inmigrantes protege a menores que, de otra manera, tendrían que enfrentar este sistema sin ayuda.

✨ Apóyalos hoy en aijustice.org/defense-fund/

Immigrant Famalies Defense Fund

More than 100,000 children have been separated from their parents since January 2025, according to a new analysis.

Roughly three-quarters of those children are likely U.S. citizens, according to the Brookings Institution.

The New York Times reports: “The findings point to a scale of family separations that far eclipses the 'Zero Tolerance' policy in 2018, when about 5,500 children were removed from their parents immediately after crossing the southern border.”

Our May newsletter is full of information about what is happening on the ground. See this month’s newsletter at aijustice.org/newsletter.

Read it, share it, and stay engaged. Want to get the newsletter via email?
👉 Subscribe now to stay in the loop at http://bit.ly/AIJNews

Help us protect our Haitian neighbors!

Americans for Immigrant Justice will participate in a live conversation on Island TV about the importance of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for our Haitian community in Miami.

Join us on June 3 at 7pm ET. Register for this conversation here: https://bit.ly/4o0x7Dt

Thank you The Miami Foundation, Stichiz and iHeartRadio for the invitation.

Miami is home to the largest Haitian diaspora community in the U.S.

AI Justice is on the front lines, serving and supporting the Haitian community daily as the future of more than 330,000 of our Haitian TPS holders is on the line. Revoking their Temporary Protective Status will have a direct impact on our communities, especially in Florida.

We stand with the Haitian community during this unprecedented time and are here to support them through our services.

If you or someone you know is in immigration detention, please call our Detention Program Hotline at 786-454-8554, Mondays to Thursdays, 9:00 am to 11:30 am ET and 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm ET.

Families in need of immigration assistance may contact our Family Defense Program by calling 305-573-1106, ext. 8008, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am ET to 11:00 am ET, or email [email protected].

🚨 New FREE CLE credits available!!

We just uploaded free credits for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits to our new Pro Bono Portal—a free resource to learn abo about current immigration law. Access it here: aijustice.org/probono

In the portal, you will find new recorded trainings developed with nationally renowned legal experts.

What to expect:
✅On-demand webinars
✅Time-saving resources
✅Real-world strategies
✅Proven frameworks
✅Expert-led tutorials
✅Support and mentorship

Come stand alongside immigrants who urgently need legal representation.

To access the training library, we ask that you consider volunteering with us. If you are a lawyer, we ask that you consider taking a case with our pro bono program.

👉 Visit aijustice.org/probono to learn more and get involved.

✨ We are grateful to The Miami Foundation for the invitation to the Women’s Fund Annual Power of the Purse event on March 13, 2026 💖

A special congratulations to our Executive Director, Sui Chung, who now proudly serves as a member of The Miami Foundation’s Community Advisory Council 🌟. We celebrate the power of women’s leadership and the role we all play in empowering women and girls across our community 💪💫.

Thank you to The Miami Foundation for your ongoing partnership in advancing equity, opportunity, and justice for all.

Today, we honor every life given in service.
Thank you to the heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice. We are forever grateful.
May their courage continue to inspire freedom and justice for all.💙

United States veterans have put their lives on the line to defend this country. They survived combat zones. Some even survived the Taliban. Now they face wrongful ICE detention and deportation.

The American promise for our service members has always been clear: those willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to defend this nation will be honored and protected. Today, that promise is broken.

Non-citizen veterans and active-duty military families may face detention, deportation proceedings, or permanent separation, despite their military service and deep ties to the United States.

Americans for Immigrant Justice has stepped up to stand with our troops.

We are proud to announce our Veterans, Active-Duty, & Military Families Immigration Defense Initiative — free legal services for those who served under the American promise.

Low-income veterans, active-duty service members, and their families who seek immigration assistance may contact our Family Defense Program by calling 305-573-1106, ext. 8008, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am ET to 11:00 am ET, or email [email protected].

If you or someone you know is in immigration detention, please call our Detention Program Hotline at 786-454-8554, Mondays to Thursdays, 9:00 to 11:30 am ET and 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm ET.

Read more about the initiative at aijustice.org/press-releases.

Support this initiative by donating at aijustice.org/defense-fund

Immigrants are parents, students, and workers building better futures for their families and communities. 🌎
Support immigrant rights at aijustice.org/donate