The Trump administration plans on spending $268.9 BILLION—or $2,358 per taxpayer—to undertake mass deportations. Ever wonder what that money could have funded instead? Check out EPI's new calculator to see what your state, county, congressional district, or town could have invested in.

The Cost of Deportations Calculator

The Trump administration is taking billions of _your_ taxpayer dollars to pay for mass deportations. The Cost of Deportations Calculator shows what could this money be used for instead.

epi.org

Grateful to @newsweek.com for covering our new research on ICE arrests in @pnas.org (with @chloeneast.bsky.social & Ellie Cox).

Newsweek@newsweek.com · 2d ago

Researchers found the share of ICE arrestees with criminal convictions fell as arrests surged under Trump.

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo died at Delaney Hall in Newark, six weeks into ICE custody. He is the 23rd person to die in ICE detention this year and the second at Delaney Hall since it reopened under Trump. austinkocher.substack.com/p/edwin-lope...

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo Is the 23rd Person to Die in ICE Custody in 2026

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo died at Delaney Hall in Newark, six weeks into ICE custody. He is the 23rd person to die in ICE detention this year and the second at Delaney Hall since it reopened under Trump.

austinkocher.substack.com

People potentially subject to the nyc pied-à-terre tax are being treated with 1% of the administrative hostility of SNAP and Medicaid applicants, and they’re throwing 100x the fit

300,000 Haitians legally living in the U.S. have officially lost their Temporary Protected Status this week. ICE is reportedly planning to target Haitian communities and fast-track deportations to Haiti, which is controlled by violent gangs and deep in crisis. Trump’s cruelty knows no bounds.

Out today!! Our new @pnas.org paper (w @chloeneast.bsky.social & @elizabethacox.bsky.social) examines variation in ICE arrests from 2015 to today, exposing just how unprecedented things are today—and how/why.

Chloe N East (she/her)@chloeneast.bsky.social · last wk.

My paper is out today in PNAS documenting how ICE activity in Trump 2.0 compares to the last 10 years and the mismatch between the action and the rhetoric. Joint with the fabulous @caitlinpatler.bsky.social and @elizabethacox.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

“I just want the opportunity to keep working.” Across the country, TPS holders and #DACA recipients are being forced out of their jobs, including caregivers that older adults rely on every day. Congress must pass a pathway to citizenship. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/u...

Senior Living Facility in Distress as Immigrant Caregivers Are Forced Out

Retirement communities already grappling with labor shortages are being forced to terminate caregivers at a time when more Americans are living longer.

nytimes.com

NEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...

Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him

Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

nytimes.com

This is incredibly powerful reporting and I’m honored to have provided some context for the likely immediate and downstream harms of these horrendous conditions.

Eunice Cho@eunicehcho.bsky.social · 2w ago

Powerful visualization of horrifying conditions of confinement in ICE's holding room cells, based on testimony of brave detainees who came forward to sue ICE and challenge abuses at 26 Federal Plaza. Great reporting by @douglasmac.bsky.social as usual! wapo.st/3R6bdmr

It's very difficult for the public to understand what it looks like when ICE overcrowds detention centers and hold rooms. Very grateful to see this report. The conditions are heinous. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

ICE officials warned of dangerous crowding. See how they kept packing people in.

Dozens were held for days in small rooms last year with no beds, showers or full-time medical staff, records analyzed by The Post show.

washingtonpost.com

Some other interesting data from this new report. From October 1, 2025 through April 4, 2026, ICE reported an average of 1,266 ICE removals per day. From April 4 through July 11, that number ticked down slightly to an average 1,246 daily ICE removals. Either way, FY26 is on pace to set records.

Adam Sawyer@adamjst.bsky.social · 2w ago

ICE just published updated detention statistics for the first time since early April. As of July 11, ICE was detaining 65,765 people. www.ice.gov/detain/deten...

With 55 additions and 2 cancelations today, there are now 2,179 active 287(g) agreements with 1,858 unique law enforcement agencies. 209 agreements signed in the past 30 days. 46 of today's 55 new sign-ups were for the Task Force model of the program (see below ⤵️).

Andrew Thrasher@tituslegaldesign.com · 3w ago

As I wrote in my newsletter yesterday, we currently have limited insight into how ICE is processing reimbursements for its Task Force 287(g) partner agencies. We also don't know much money has actually been paid out of the program's slush fund, or where it's all gone.

An excellent analysis of a legal procedure that has, until recently, never been used before.

Steve Vladeck@stevevladeck.bsky.social · 2w ago

I've been teaching my National Security Law students about the "Alien Terrorist Removal Court" for 20 years. Now that the Trump administration is using it for the first time (ever), today's "One First" looks at what it actually *does,* why it exists, and where we should (and shouldn't) be concerned:

ICE just published updated detention statistics for the first time since early April. As of July 11, ICE was detaining 65,765 people. www.ice.gov/detain/deten...

In a free country, failing to comply with law enforcement does not give the state license to murder you

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w ago

Homan on people getting killed by ICE: "It comes down to one simple fact -- these people failed to comply with law enforcement ... all they had to do is comply. If they did, they'd be alive today."

The revelations came out in a federal court case brought by Democratic states challenging ICE's access to Medicaid data to aid in deportation efforts. n.pr/4f9OdMn

ICE shared Medicaid data it wasn't supposed to have with Palantir

The revelations came out in a federal court case brought by Democratic states challenging ICE's access to Medicaid data to aid in deportation efforts.

n.pr

@wendydcervantes.bsky.social: When parents fear that seeking health care, nutrition assistance, or other supports could jeopardize their family’s future, many will simply go without. The result is that children don't get what they need to grow, learn, and thrive. www.clasp.org/press-room/p...

New DHS Public Charge Policy Will Increase Fear and Harm Children’s Health and Well-being | CLASP

By removing those protections, the final rule creates confusion and uncertainty that will most likely discourage many immigrant families from seeking health care, nutrition assistance, housing support...

clasp.org

WHOA indeed. DHS is *not* saying that the officer feared for his life. That is VERY notable in comparison to other shootings.

David J. Bier@davidjbier.bsky.social · 3w ago

WHOA DHS does not say that the agent feared for his life… just the vague concern for “public safety.” So he killed him just because he did not want him in America, not because of any specific threat to agents?

ICE is engaged in a very large escalation nationwide, with the agency claiming to be hitting record arrest numbers amid the return of quotas. This has gotten very little attention from the media because ICE learned lessons from the chaotic disasters of Kristi Noem’s tenure. Keep a watch.

WA Whistles@wawhistles.bsky.social · 4w ago

ICE is surging in the Seattle area. (Map shows activity in the last week) Do you have your whistle with you?

An Afghan national who fought alongside U.S. forces has died from an allergic reaction while in ICE custody, one day after he was detained for deportation proceedings, his death certificate shows. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Afghan national who fought with U.S. forces died of allergic reaction in ICE custody

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, suffered “an adverse drug reaction” to an unidentified substance, which triggered anaphylaxis and exacerbated his asthma, the death report shows.

nbcnews.com

How untrustworthy has ICE’s initial version of some incidents been? - In Minneapolis, two ICE officers were charged for shooting a man and lying about it. - In Nebraska, ICE officer said a man tried to choke one of them and got him charged for attempted murder. They made it up.

Ted Hesson@tedhesson.bsky.social · 4w ago

An ICE officer fatally shot a Mexican man in Houston on Tuesday during an attempted traffic stop, federal authorities said, what appeared to be the first deadly ICE shooting since Minneapolis in January. W/ @davidnakamura.bsky.social @arelisrhdz.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

I appreciated talking to @kbaxter11.bsky.social about the US men's team at the world cup and what it means at 250. www.latimes.com/sports/socce...

On America's 250th birthday, U.S. soccer team of immigrants embodies founders' dreams

Nearly half of the U.S. soccer players who made an inspiring run to the World Cup round of 16 are dual-nationals, embodying the American dream on the Fourth of July.

latimes.com

In upholding birthright citz, SCOTUS averted a self-inflicted national wound: 4.7 mil. children denied citz by 2045; creation of hereditary underclass 14A aimed to prevent; econ. harm to tune of $7.7 tril. This is a victory for all, but w 700+ imm restrictions since 01/25, work is far from over.

Caitlin Patler@caitlinpatler.bsky.social · last mo.

Sharing our amicus brief on birthright citizenship in light of today’s pending decision. The stakes could not be higher.

Everyone should be extremely concerned that birthright citizenship was 5-4 and not unanimous.

“Held: Children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United Statesand are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause.”

Kyle Cheney@kyledcheney.bsky.social · last mo.

BREAKING: Supreme Court rejects Trump effort to limit birthright citizenship. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

Sharing our amicus brief on birthright citizenship in light of today’s pending decision. The stakes could not be higher.

Caitlin Patler@caitlinpatler.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Immensely grateful to share an amicus brief on birthright citizenship, submitted to SCOTUS last week. We present esta of the impacted child population (4.8 mil children in next 20 yrs alone!) + financial contributions through 2074 under status quo ($7.7 trillion!). Link: lnkd.in/gGXngCDY 1/7

@caitlinpatler.bsky.social (@goldmanschool.bsky.social) is the lead author of an amicus brief co-signed by 140 scholars and submitted to SCOTUS in its consideration of birthright citizenship. Patler's research explores how citizenship and legal status shape mobility. Connect with Patler:

Caitlin Patler | Scholars Strategy Network

Patler's research explores citizenship and legal status as axes of stratification that significantly shape opportunities for mobility. She is currently conducting longitudinal mixed-methods research s...

scholars.org

📢 Tomorrow, #SCOTUS is hearing a case on Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. The case could have implications for constitutional law, immigration policy & U.S.-born individuals. For reporters covering this, these experts are available. ⤵️ 🔗 Connect: scholars.org/features/exp...

I had started a list of suggested follows on Bluesky to better understand the U.S. immigration system a few months ago, and then forgot about it. Thanks to @prisonculture.bsky.social for sharing a quick start guide today, which reminded me to finally get to adding to it ⤵️

In honor of ICE reaching 2,000 287(g) agreements this week, I've made some updates (improvements, hopefully!) to the program report + landing page/resource hub. www.tituslegaldesign.com/immigration-...

Andrew Thrasher@tituslegaldesign.com · last mo.

As expected, ICE reached 2,000 active 287(g) agreements with today's additions (+15). Roughly 1,700 law enforcement agencies across 38 states, Guam + CNMI. 823 of 3,144 county-level governments in US + ~750 municipalities now participate. 1,873 of these agreements were signed after Jan 20, 2025.