U.S.-Mexico Border Update: border barrier controversies, migrant children, military and drones, misuses of force

With this series of updates, WOLA seeks to cover the most important developments at the U.S.-Mexico border. See past updates here.

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Border wall construction

A win for opponents of barriers in Big Bend

• Rebecca Santana, “How Texas Landowners Are Fighting Back Against Trump's Border Wall” (Associated Press, Associated Press, October 9, 2026).

In Texas’ Big Bend region, the administration has run up against intense opposition from landowners, many of whom are unwilling to cede parts of their property for what they see as a waste of taxpayer dollars

• Sam Karas, “How a Scrappy Legal Team Paused All Big Bend Border Wall Construction” (Texas Monthly, October 9, 2026).

The fight to stop the border wall in Big Bend is not over—but a federal judge's ruling has given activists a hard-won victory

• Martha Pskowski, “A Federal Judge Slams the Brakes on Big Bend Border Wall Construction” (Mother Jones, October 6, 2026).

The Trump administration had waived dozens of laws to fast-track the project

• Adam Isacson, Spreadsheets 1, Bulldozers 0 (for now) (Adam Isacson, October 4, 2026).

It’s an understatement to say we haven’t had many wins in the border and migration space lately. This one felt especially sweet

• J. David Goodman, “Judge Blocks Border Wall Construction in Big Bend in Texas” (The New York Times, October 2, 2026).

The ruling dealt a setback to the Trump administration’s plans for hundreds of miles of barriers that have drawn local opposition

• Mary Cantrell, “Judge Halts Big Bend Area Border Wall Construction, Use of Federal Waivers” (Marfa Public Radio, October 2, 2026).

At a Friday hearing in El Paso, a U.S. District Judge ordered all construction on the Big Bend area border wall project to stop immediately — including in Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. The order also included the stay of federal waivers that expedited the project

Elsewhere in Texas

• Martha Pskowski, “Texas Land Commissioner Treads Carefully as Trump Border Wall Advances on State Property” (Inside Climate News, October 15, 2026).

Dawn Buckingham has long supported President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. But now the federal government plans to build a wall on cherished state land

• Sandra Sanchez, “Tiny South Texas Town Celebrates Halt in Border Wall Construction” (Border Report, October 12, 2026).

Town petition fpr exemption from further wall construction

New Mexico

• Joey Esposito, “Did DHS Waive New Mexico Water Laws to Access Wells for Border Wall Construction?” (Snopes, October 14, 2026).

People claimed the waiver removed the state's ownership of water wells during a lawsuit against the federal government

• Aracely Lazcano, “New Mexico Challenges Federal Water-Law Waiver for Border Wall Construction” (Border Report, October 12, 2026).

Arizona: environmental protests

• Alisa Reznick, “Santa Cruz County Sheriff: Arizona-Mexico Border Protests Are a Federal Issue” (KJZZ Arizona, October 13, 2026).

His comments come after the Arizona Sheriff’s Association accused his office of refusing requests for assistance from Border Patrol

• “Arizona Sheriffs' Association Issues Open Letter on Public Safety Concerns in Santa Cruz County · Arizona Sheriffs' Association” (Arizona Sheriffs Association, October 9, 2026).
• Lauren Gilger, “Much of the U.S.-Mexico Border in Az Is Closing to the Public. Adelita Grijalva Is Pushing Back” (KJZZ Arizona, October 8, 2026).

The Forest Service is closing off a long stretch of the border to protesters and the public alike, raising issues of transparency as they claim its unrelated to confrontations

• Mia Kortright, “Border Agents Pepper-Spray Arizona Border 'Tree Sit' Protesters, Arrest Activist Who Locked Self to Truck” (The Tucson Sentinel (Tucson Arizona), October 7, 2026).

Protesters engaged in a months-long 'tree sit' to halt border wall construction were pepper-sprayed by Border Patrol agents Wednesday, with one of the demonstrators locking herself to a gravel hauler before being detached and detained

• Henry Brean, “Arizona Border Protesters Removed; 'Grandmother' Cottonwood Toppled” (The Arizona Daily Star, October 5, 2026).

A giant cottonwood along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona was knocked down Monday, after authorities cleared out protesters trying to save the tree from destruction

• Jake Spring, “They Sat Atop a ‘Grandmother' Tree for Months. Border Agents Knocked It Down.” (The Washington Post, October 5, 2026).

Activists occupied a cottonwood tree in Arizona for more than two months in a standoff with U.S. Customs and Border Protection contractors

• Mia Kortright, “CBP Razes Lochiel Cottonwood Tree, Arrests 10 After Three-Month 'Tree Sit'” (The Tucson Sentinel (Tucson Arizona), October 5, 2026).

Border Patrol agents arrested 10 people and cited 10 more in what protesters called a "brutal" raid as they tore down a centuries-old cottonwood tree to build the double border wall

• Alisa Reznick, “Nps Denies Activist Group's Request to Put Water Stations Along Arizona-Mexico Border for Migrants” (KJZZ Arizona, October 5, 2026).

The National Park Service has denied an activist group’s request to place water stations along the Arizona-Mexico border — marking the first time their permit has been denied in more than two decades

Arizona: Tohono O’odham Nation

• Ryan Devereaux, “As Trump's Wall Closes in, DHS Intimidates a Border Tribe With Surveillance, Masked Agents and Drones” (ProPublica, October 10, 2026).

For decades, the Tohono O’odham Nation collaborated with DHS to stave off a border wall. Despite their cooperation, the Trump administration is barreling forward with a project that would divide their community

• Mitchell Koch, “Border Patrol to Remove Thousands of Saguaros in Southern Arizona for Wall Construction, Officials Say” (Arizona’s Family, October 10, 2026).

Thousands of saguaro cacti will be reportedly removed next week for construction of the border wall near the Arizona-Mexico border

The administration’s campaign to deport migrant children

• Isabela Dias, Samantha Michaels, ““You Kidnapped My Son”” (Mother Jones, October 5, 2026).

ICE is now separating children from their parents and deeming them “unaccompanied”

• Jazmine Ulloa, Madeleine Ngo, “Migrant Children Without Lawyers Face Fast-Tracked Deportations Alone” (The New York Times, October 15, 2026).

For years, the government has helped secure lawyers for minors who arrive at the southern border. But a contract dispute has forced many children to face immigration judges alone

• Celine Castronuovo, Ximena Bustillo, “DHS Offers Migrant Children $3,000 to Voluntarily Depart US” (Bloomberg Law, October 9, 2026).

The Trump administration is offering children as young as 5 years old $3,000 to voluntarily leave the US, according to attorneys and advocacy organizations

• Samantha Michaels, “Trump Administration Plans to Have Its Own Lawyers Represent Migrant Kids” (Mother Jones, October 7, 2026).

Putting government counsel on both sides "makes me feel like it's all a farce," says one immigration attorney.

• Gisela Salomon, “Trump Administration to Assign Government Lawyers to Migrant Kids' Cases, Worrying Advocates” (Associated Press, Associated Press, October 6, 2026).

The military and drones at the border

Troop surge to Rio Grande Valley after claimed gunfire incident

• Alma E. Muñoz, Emir Olivares, “Operativos Espejo Mexico-EU, para Evitar Malos Entendidos, Informa Sheinbaum” (La Jornada (Mexico), October 7, 2026).
• Sandra Sanchez, “Feds Confirm Surge in Troops, Chinooks for Border Mission” (Border Report, October 7, 2026).
• Pablo Ferri, “Tensions Mount on Mexico-US Border Amid Drones and Shootouts” (El Pais (Spain), October 6, 2026).

The deployment of troops to the Texas and Tamaulipas area over a possible attack on US Coast Guard personnel coincides with increased drone use by cartels

• Alonso Urrutia, Emir Olivares, “Despliega el Gobierno Federal a 500 Uniformados en la Frontera Con Texas” (La Jornada (Mexico), October 6, 2026).

La acción es cautelar, pues ningún connacional confirmó las detonaciones

• “Editorial: US, Mexico Both Sending More Troops to RGV Border; We Should Know About It” (The Brownsville Herald, October 6, 2026).
• Capt. Shamari Pratt, “U.S. Army Soldiers Assigned to 130th MEB Conduct Mirrored Patrol Along the Southern Border” (Operation Ardent Vanguard, DVIDS (U.S. Department of Defense), October 6, 2026).
• Samantha Schmidt, “U.S. Says Coast Guard Came Under Fire Near the Border. Mexico Wants Evidence.” (The Washington Post, October 5, 2026).

Hundreds of troops have been deployed by their governments on both sides of the border between Texas and Tamaulipas state

• Adam Gramegna, “Coast Guard Returns Fire on US-Mexico Border as Hundreds of Troops Pour Into the Rio Grande Valley” (Military.com, October 5, 2026).

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott would not confirm it was cartel related, only saying, "That is what I've heard"

• “Mexico and US Send Troops to Border in Joint ‘Mirror Operation' After Gunfire Episode” (Mexico News Daily, October 5, 2026).
• Alan Morales, “Tamaulipas Mantiene Vigilancia, Pero No Confirma Disparos Hacia EU” (Elefante Blanco (Mexico), October 5, 2026).

Willy Zúñiga sostuvo que las autoridades estatales carecen de datos concretos sobre la agresión a la Guardia Costera señalada por el embajador Ronald Johnson

• “Sheinbaum Afirma “No Tenemos Evidencia” de Disparos de Mexico Hacia EU” (Elefante Blanco (Mexico), October 5, 2026).

La presidenta Sheinbaum afirmó que Guardia Nacional, Sedena y Semar no detectaron la agresión; el operativo en Tamaulipas de manera preventiva

• “Despliegan 500 Efectivos del Ejercito y Guardia Nacional Con el Apoyo de Dos Helicopteros de la Fuerza Aerea en la Frontera de Tamaulipas” (Secretaría de Defensa Nacional de Mexico, October 4, 2026).
• “Marina Reitera su Compromiso Con la Relacion Binacional en Materia de Seguridad Fronteriza y Maritima Con Estados Unidos” (Secretaria de Marina de Mexico, Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (Mexico), October 3, 2026).
• “Tras Tiroteo a la Guardia Costera, EU Moviliza Tropas a su Frontera Sur” (La Jornada (Mexico), October 3, 2026).

El personal que respondió el fuego no resultó herido, señaló portavoz de esa corporación

• “Embajador Ronald Johnson (@Usambmex) on X” (U.S. Embassy Mexico, Twitter, October 3, 2026).

These actions are part of the broader border cooperation that has helped make our border the most secure in history. Mexico has deployed 159 naval personnel, 11 vehicles, and two drones on its side of the border, while the U.S. has deployed approximately 500 U.S. military personnel on the north

• Rose Thayer, “Coast Guard Personnel Exchange Gunfire Along US-Mexico Border” (Stars and Stripes, October 2, 2026).

Coast Guard personnel intercepting migrants crossing the Rio Grande River exchanged gunfire with people on the Mexican side of the border last week

• “Joint Task Force-Southern Border Announces Operation Unified Resolve, Reinforces Rio Grande Valley” (U.S. Northern Command, October 2, 2026).

Other military-drones stories

• Ben Finley, “After Surging Troops to the Border, US Army Showcases a Quieter Rio Grande” (Associated Press, Associated Press, October 13, 2026).

In this small patch at the southern edge of the United States, a slow saga is playing out — a curious mix of policing, policy and politics

• “New Lawsuit Challenges Administration's Unlawful Militarization of Public Lands Along Southern Border” (Southern Border Communities Coalition, October 13, 2026).

Administration Turned More Than 100,000 Acres of New Mexico Public Land Into a Military Zone, Cutting Communities Off From Land Used for Recreation, Humanitarian Work, and Essential Services

• Natalie Medina, Paul Sanchez, Yami Virgin, “Border Security Goes High-Tech as Cartels Deploy Drones to Monitor U.S. Authorities” (Fox San Antonio, October 13, 2026).

A reported shooting involving U.S. Coast Guard personnel along the Texas-Mexico border is raising questions about security along the Rio Grande

• John Ingle, “Usnorthcom Trains, Certifies Jtf-SB Soldiers as C-SUAS FAK Operators” (U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs, U.S. Northern Command, October 8, 2026).
• “Ryan: Homeland Defense Is Crucial Army Mission” (Association of the United States Army, October 8, 2026).

U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command is focused on defending the homeland through “hemispheric defense in depth,” its commander said

• Sgt. Jerron Bruce, “62nd Engineer Battalion Reinforces Southern Barrier With C-Wire” (Operation Ardent Vanguard, DVIDS (U.S. Department of Defense), October 6, 2026).
• Mike Blake, “Us Army Tests Counter-Drone Tech at Mexican Border as Cartel Drone Use Rises” (Reuters, Military Times, October 5, 2026).

The service is seeking to sharpen its defenses against the growing threat of drone use by cartels

• “Usawhc (@Usarmywhc) on X” (JTF Southern Border, Twitter, October 1, 2026).

@JointTFSB Soldiers boarded UH-60M Black Hawks to conduct a 24-hour security mission alongside @CBP, providing critical aerial monitoring capabilities to detect unlawful southern border crossings.

ICE and CBP misuse of force, body cameras

Incidents

• Nayna Gupta, “Renee Good's Family Files Lawsuits Challenging Federal Immunity as ICE Shootings Continue” (American Immigration Council, October 13, 2026).

The family of Renée Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE officer this year, filed two lawsuits against the government and Trump officials

• Eric Berger, “ICE Agent Strikes Man With Vehicle During Pursuit in Texas, Officials Say” (The Guardian (Uk), October 11, 2026).

Parra-Hernandez suffered a broken leg and taken to a hospital after being hit by car during an ICE operation

• Ali Winston, Dhruv Mehrotra, Maddy Varner, “ICE Agent at NYC Shooting Has History of Alleged Violence and Illegal Arrests” (Wired, October 9, 2026).

Brenden Cuni, an ICE supervisor, has been accused of excessive force and tackling a pregnant woman to the ground. Several of his arrests were later found to be unlawful in federal court

• Andrea Castillo, “ICE Detainees Sprayed With Toxic Cleaner During Covid Crisis to Get Six-Figure Payout in Settlement” (The Los Angeles Times, October 8, 2026).

Hundreds of detainees said they suffered lasting health issues when guards sprayed a toxic cleaning agent during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

• Alex Stambaugh, John Miller, Julianna Bragg, Mark Morales, “ICE Agents Shot at Man in Car With His 5-Year-Old Son” (CNN, October 8, 2026).

A man from the Dominican Republic was shot and wounded by federal immigration agents during a targeted enforcement operation in the Bronx on Thursday, according to officials, marking the first shooting involving ICE agents in New York City since President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown

• Ed Shanahanluis Ferre-Sadurni, Hamed Aleaziz, “ICE Agent Shoots Man During Arrest Attempt in New York Neighborhood” (The New York Times, October 8, 2026).

The man was in a car with a 5-year-old in the back seat when he was shot and wounded, the authorities said. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the Trump administration was “terrorizing our city”

• Noah Hurowitz, “ICE Agent on Scene of NYC Shooting Was Posing as Construction Worker, Eyewitness Says” (The Intercept, October 8, 2026).

A member of Congress at the scene confirmed to The Intercept that there was a child in the victim’s car when ICE agents shot at it

• Cybele Mayes-Osterman, “US Citizen Who Was Shot by Immigration Agent in Chicago Files Lawsuit Alleging He Fired From Behind” (Associated Press, Associated Press, October 5, 2026).
• Ernesto Londono, “Renee Good's Family Sues ICE Agent and Top Officials Over Minnesota Killing” (The New York Times, October 1, 2026).

The fatal shooting of Ms. Good set off protests during the Trump administration’s immigration operation early this year in Minnesota

Body-worn cameras

• “Federal Law Enforcement: CBP and ICE Should Improve Body-Worn Camera Program Management” (U.S. Government Accountability Office, October 14, 2026).

Neither agency has updated initial plans for the body-worn camera programs to reflect changes in camera deployment. They also haven’t developed guidance for most program offices on how to use the cameras

• Jackie Llanos, “ICE Won't Automatically Switch on Body Cameras, Citing Privacy Concerns” (The Washington Sun, October 14, 2026).

Congress’ watchdog urged recordings to start when officers draw their weapons. DHS declined

• Ximena Bustillo, “DHS Rejects Guidance for Body Cameras to Turn on Automatically” (Bloomberg Law, October 14, 2026).

The Department of Homeland Security dismissed a watchdog’s recommendation that ICE use automated technology to ensure officers’ body cameras are turned on during incidents

”Shock gloves”

• Ryan J. Foley, “Army Study Found Shock Gloves Purchased by ICE Cause Pain, Compliance and Fear” (Associated Press, Associated Press, October 6, 2026).

ICE’s contract requires the manufacturer, Compliant Technologies LLC, to deliver the gloves within six months

• Sophie Hurwitz, “Study: Shock Gloves Traumatized Army Volunteers” (Mother Jones, October 6, 2026).

After tests, military personnel said "just seeing the glove" that ICE plans to adopt scared them into obedience

Vehicle pursuits

• Ryan J. Foley, “New ICE Guidance Bans High-Speed Car Chases and Sets Tighter Rules for Traffic Stops, a Memo Shows” (Associated Press, Associated Press, October 1, 2026).

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been ordered not to engage in high-speed car chases and to make vehicle stops only if they have completed specific training

• Michael Williams, Priscilla Alvarez, “Exclusive: ICE Issues New Instructions on Vehicle Stops After Shootings, New Guidance Shows” (CNN, October 1, 2026).

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will only be allowed to conduct vehicle stops if they have completed related training courses and must ensure that vehicles used for stops are equipped with lights and sirens, according to new internal guidance reviewed by CNN

In the federal courts

• Bob Egelko, “Trump's Remain in Mexico Policy Hits Legal Roadblock but Supreme Court Likely Awaits” (The San Francisco Chronicle, October 12, 2026).

A federal judge rules that President Donald Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy violates immigrants’ rights to legal representation and a fair hearing

• Andrew Kreighbaum, “Judge Blocks ICE Rule Imposing Civil Immigration Penalties” (Bloomberg Law, October 6, 2026).

A Boston district court judge halted a Trump administration overhaul of guardrails for civil immigration penalties

• David Nakamura, Julian Mark, “Supreme Court to Scrutinize ICE's Mandatory Detention Policy for Immigrants” (The Washington Post, October 1, 2026).

Under President Donald Trump, some immigrants have been denied bond hearings and spent months in detention while awaiting removal proceedings

ICE arrests

• Jose Pagliery, “Police Chiefs Are Quietly Signing ICE Deals Without Approval” (The Washington Sun, October 14, 2026).

They are getting funds in exchange for enforcing federal immigration laws — and an earful from locals

• Michael Williams, Priscilla Alvarez, “Exclusive: ICE Agents Told to Ramp Up Daily Immigration Arrests Despite GOP Unease as Midterms Near” (CNN, October 8, 2026).

Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership told agents nationwide on Tuesday to increase immigration arrests by 1,000 more people daily, returning to a previous goal of 3,000 daily arrests, according to two sources familiar with the verbal directive

• Anna Flagg, Shannon Heffernan, “ICE Has Arrested Twice as Many Children This Year” (The Marshall Project, October 8, 2026).

In total, more than 8,500 kids have been arrested by ICE in Trump’s second term

• Luis Ferre-Sadurni, “Trump-Appointed Judge Accuses ICE of Lying and Fabricating Records” (The New York Times, October 6, 2026).

Two men were mistakenly arrested in the Bronx by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Gary R. Brown, a federal judge, condemned the agency’s actions

• Bianca Fortis, Cengiz Yar, Kahlie Wray, Liliana Michelena, Mariam Elba, Nicole Foy, Ruth Talbot, “More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump's Immigration Crackdown” (ProPublica, October 6, 2026).

The government doesn’t track how often immigration officers detain U.S. citizens. So ProPublica did. We’ve found more than 500 Americans who were held against their will during this Trump administration

• Jonathan Blitzer, “ICE Is Everywhere and Acting With Impunity” (The New Yorker, October 4, 2026).

ICE arrests have reached a record high—nearly fifty-one thousand in August alone—with agents conducting operations nationwide at hospitals, at airports, and outside schools

• Anna Giaritelli, “New Hires and Tenured Officers Leaving ICE Amid Mass Deportation Era” (The Washington Examiner, October 4, 2026).

In the first half of 2026, thousands of ICE employees left, and the bulk of those departures were due to resignations and terminations, not retirements

• Julia Conley, “'It Has to Stop': Community Members Condemn ICE Arrests at Bus Stops After Gop Blocks Bill to Protect Kids” (Common Dreams, October 2, 2026).

Republicans in the US Senate blocked a bill to protect school bus stops from ICE arrests, leading to outrage in Pennsylvania and Austin. Children left abandoned as parents are detained. Is this the America we want? ICE's actions are traumatizing families and tearing them apart

ICE detention

• Anna Clark, Antoine Maillard, Melissa Sanchez, “These Women Were Trying to Escape Domestic Abuse. ICE Detained Them Instead.” (ProPublica, October 14, 2026).

It’s especially intimidating for immigrants suffering abuse to call 911. With this in mind, Congress has long treated people who need help as victims, not targets for deportation. Under the Trump administration, those protections are eroding

• Alex Nguyen, “ICE Sued for Refusing to Return Detainees' Papers and Property” (Mother Jones, October 13, 2026).

One plaintiff is jobless after his work authorization was taken. The agency also won't return his wedding ring

• Jabari Gibbs, “Approximately 500 Participate in Hunger Strike at Folkston Immigration Detention Center” (The Current, October 12, 2026).

Approximately 500 detainees at a private ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, launched a hunger strike to protest poor living conditions and alleged asylum protocol violations while awaiting judicial hearings

• Fernando Castro, “Indiferencia de Gobiernos Ante las Muertes de Inmigrantes a Cargo de ICE” (La Hora (Guatemala), October 8, 2026).

Así como a la Iglesia católica por medio de sus arzobispos e Iglesia evangélica, pronunciarse ante la pasividad e indiferencia, en la falta de actuación de los funcionarios de las cancillerías en resguardo de la asistencia y protección de inmigrantes y de los familiares

• Jasmine Garsd, “ICE Has Quietly Used This Warehouse as a Detention Facility All Summer, Neighbors Say” (National Public Radio, October 8, 2026).

Throughout the summer, rumors have been bubbling in North New Jersey that ICE has quietly been using a warehouse as a detention center. NPR investigated

• Julián Aguilar, “Honduran Immigrant Died After Delayed Care at Conroe ICE Facility, Review Finds” (The Houston Chronicle, October 7, 2026).

Núñez Cáceres was one of at least eight immigrants who died in ICE custody in Texas from October 2025 to September 2026. More than 36 died in ICE custody nationwide

• Mia Barragan, Michael Wriston, “ICE Puts Seven Warehouses Purchased for Detention on the Market” (Project Salt Box, October 6, 2026).

The properties were among 11 warehouses ICE bought for $1.07 billion to expand detention capacity. Seven are now being marketed for sale at a steep discount

• Andrea Castillo, “Department of Homeland Security Buys Two More Detention Centers in California for $950 Million” (The Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2026).

The GEO Group, a Florida-based private prison corporation, announced Monday that it had sold the detention facilities, including the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, totaling 2,644 Beds

• Austin Kocher, “Julian Curo-Churata Is the 37th Person to Die in ICE Custody This Fiscal Year, Capping Off the Agency's Deadliest Year on Record” (Austin Kocher, October 4, 2026).

According to ICE, 47-year-old Peruvian national Julian CurofChurata died in Louisiana on Tuesday, September 29

• Michael Karlis, “Testimony: Women Sexually Assaulted in ICE Detention Sites in Texas” (San Antonio Current, October 2, 2026).

A top immigrant-rights advocate made the claim during a hearing held by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro in San Antonio on Friday

Guantánamo

• Carol Rosenberg, “Senate Fact Finders Decry Costs of Migrant Detention at Guantanamo” (The New York Times, October 9, 2026).

The setup has cost more than $100 million, the study said. A recent inspection found nearly 450 government employees and zero detainees

• “Congressional Oversight of Immigration Detention at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay” (Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, U.S. Senate, October 9, 2026).

ICE contractors and DoD officials often provided contradictory and unclear answers as to how the facilities met immigration detention standards and what standards applied

Migrant deaths and injuries at the border

• Dave Hendricks, “Migrant Who Fell From Border Wall Sentenced to More Than 3 Years in Prison” (Valley Central, October 14, 2026).
• Dolores Tropiano, “‘Something Unquiet': Book Examines What Happens After Migrants Die at the Border” (Arizona State University, October 13, 2026).

In ‘Border Afterlives,’ an ASU professor explores efforts to recover and identify the dead — and provide answers for their families

Haitians after loss of Temporary Protected Status

• Edwidge Danticat, “A Young Haitian Driven to Despair by ICE” (The New Yorker, October 15, 2026).

Pierre Damas Bel was a twenty-year-old college student planning for his future. His family says that ICE monitoring made him lose hope

• Stephanie Mccrummen, “A Reckoning in Springfield” (The Atlantic, October 4, 2026).

A truck driver out on his route confronts what the country has become

Surveillance, cybersecurity, and civil liberties

• Whitney Curry Wimbish, “ICE Planning $100 Million ‘Nightmare' Domestic Spy Program” (The American Prospect, October 14, 2026).

Under ERO ONE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to hire 142 intelligence contractors with top secret clearances and deploy them in cities across the country

• Jackie Llanos, “ICE Wants to Use Ai to Monitor Detainee Calls and Movements” (The Washington Sun, October 13, 2026).

The agency is looking for software to sort through a high volume of data, use voice recognition and maintain detainee caller profiles

• Kate Morrissey, “ICE Raids Home and Car of San Diego Activist” (Beyond the Border, October 13, 2026).

On an early morning in August, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents held the person outside in their underwear while agents ransacked their belongings

• Amy Peikoff, “Are Warrantless Phone Searches at the Border Constitutional? The Supreme Court May Soon Decide.” (Reason, October 12, 2026).

The case of George Anibowei, a U.S. citizen who's had his phone searched at least five times, shows how invasive border agents have become

• Nick Penzenstadler, “'They Were Tracking Us.' ICE Tracks Protesters in Secret Database” (USA Today, October 8, 2026).
• Eric Boehm, “Minneapolis Activists Used Encrypted Group Chats to Outmaneuver ICE. Now the Feds Want to Prosecute Them.” (Reason, October 3, 2026).

"I think courts are going to be very suspicious of how broad this is," one Minnesota lawyer tells Reason

• “76 Ways Mass Deportation Is Breaking Our Democracy” (American Civil Liberties Union, October 6, 2026).

A Record of the Damage and a Plan to Rebuild Our Immigration System

• Dhruv Mehrotra, Maddy Varner, “ICE Has Been Dumping Protester Photos Into a Palantir Database” (Wired, October 2, 2026).

DHS agents not only tracked and intimidated people observing ICE activity in Maine, but stored information about them in a database run on Palantir software, newly unsealed court filings say

Third-country deportation

• Ana Lucia Ola, “Un Guatemalteco Termino en Liberia: Es Uno de los 37 Deportados por EE. UU. a Otros Paises” (Prensa Libre (Guatemala), October 12, 2026).

El registro del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Minex) señala que connacionales han sido deportados a seis países, dos de ellos ubicados en África

• Emily Bregel, “Lawyers: Arizona Deportee Freed From Equatorial Guinea Jail” (The Arizona Daily Star, October 10, 2026).

Ahmed Soliman, an Arizona man unlawfully deported to Equatorial Guinea, has been released from jail, after weeks of being held without charge

• Rebecca Gendelman, Savi Arvey, “In the Middle of the Night, They Come and Get You: Systematic Government Pursuit of Refugees and Torture Survivors Granted Protection by U.S. Judges” (Human Rights First, October 9, 2026).

Despite the court-ordered grants of protection from refoulement, the U.S. government forcibly transports people to third countries where they do not have nationality, status, or any ties. There, it delivers them to foreign governments in countries they have never known, where they may suffer arbitrary detention, separation from their children and other loved ones, forced return to their countries of origin, and other abuses

• “US: Deportations to African Countries Not Their Own” (Human Rights Watch, October 8, 2026).

The Trump administration is sending hundreds of people who can’t be deported to their own countries, because of the danger they would face, to African countries where they have no connections

• “Nicaraguense Deportado a la Republica Centroafricana: “Mi Meta Es Volver a los Estados Unidos”” (Despacho 505 (Nicaragua), October 4, 2026).

El nicaragüense Luis Mendoza relata desde la República Centroafricana el drama de ser deportado a un país desconocido por las autoridades migratorias de Estados Unidos

• “"Tenemos Miedo a Perder la Vida Aqui": Los Migrantes de America Latina Que ee.uu. Deporta a Republica Centroafricana” (BBC (UK), October 2, 2026).

Tenían protecciones ante la deportación ordenadas por un tribunal de inmigración y acabaron en otro continente, en un país del que no tenían referencias. Allí esperan un "milagro" para poder regresar a EE.UU

• Natasha Perez Tummler, Rachel Schmidtke, “Left in Limbo: Emerging Challenges for Third Country Nationals Forcibly Transferred by the United States to Costa Rica” (Global Strategic Litigation Council, Refugees International, Refugees International, October 1, 2026).

The Costa Rican government and IOM must undertake concrete measures to protect the rights of individuals forcibly transferred to Costa Rica

• Maria Nunez Chacon, “Deportados Desde EE.UU. a Costa Rica: “Se Les Han Negado Sus Derechos y se Les Deja en un Limbo”” (Semanario Universidad (Costa Rica), October 1, 2026).

El nuevo informe se basa en 21 entrevistas con personas nacionales y de terceros países trasladadas forzosamente

Other deportation

• Sergio Morales, “EE. UU. Ya Supera los 50 Mil Guatemaltecos Deportados en Lo Que Va del 2026” (La Hora (Guatemala), October 13, 2026).

De continuar la tendencia, al final de 2026 la cifra de retornos podría llegar a los 65 mil e incluso romper el récord histórico

• “Deportacion de Jeffrey Jarquin Preocupa a Nicas en EE. UU.” (Confidencial (Nicaragua), October 11, 2026).

La deportación a Nicaragua del expreso político Jeffrey Jarquín, sentó “un precedente negativo” para los nicaragüenses exiliados en ese país

• Hamed Aleaziz, “Trump Administration Considers Using Ships to Deport Immigrants” (The New York Times, October 8, 2026).

Journeys to destinations including El Salvador and Venezuela could take days and cost millions. Officials cautioned that discussions are still preliminary

• Kate Linthicum, “U.S. Sends Torture Survivor Back to Nicaragua, Where He Is Immediately Jailed Again” (The Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2026).

Jeffrey Jarquín, a former Nicaraguan political prisoner who said he was tortured for opposing President Daniel Ortega, was jailed at Managua’s Modelo prison immediately after the U.S. deported him, advocates say

• Heidi Loarca, “Video Muestra Deportacion de Casi Mil Guatemaltecos y Salvadorenos en 21 Vuelos Durante un Dia” (La Hora (Guatemala), October 2, 2026).

El secretario de Seguridad Nacional de EE. UU. explicó cómo se realizan los vuelos de deportación y cuánto tiempo permanecen los migrantes en el centro

• “Us: Victims of Nicaraguan Government Risk Deportation” (Human Rights Watch, October 2, 2026).

US immigration authorities have detained at least eight Nicaraguan exiles whom the Ortega-Murillo government has stripped of their nationality, including some with pending asylum claims

DHS spending

• Kevin Mcnellis, “New Data Show How ICE and CBP Are Using Their Reconciliation Funding” (Kevin McNellis, October 6, 2026).

ICE and CBP have $144.0 billion in reconciliation funding left to obligate, enough to keep ICE operating for years without new appropriations

• David A. Fahrenthold, Hamed Aleaziz, Nicholas Nehamas, Niraj Chokshi, Tyler Pager, “Kristi Noem's Agency Gave Her Donor a Lucrative Contract Just Before She Left” (The New York Times, October 4, 2026).

The Homeland Security Department signed a multi-million dollar agreement to buy five aircraft from a company owned by a political contributor of the secretary on her last day, documents show

Immigration courts

• Celine Castronuovo, “Trump Immigration Judges Are More Likely to Reject Asylum Claims” (Bloomberg Law, October 13, 2026).

Immigrants have increasingly lost asylum claims since President Donald Trump returned to office, and are more likely to lose if their case is before one of his administration’s newest immigration judges

• Caroline Kubzansky, “Amid Firings, Individual Immigration Judges Scrutinized by Higher-Ups on Case Management” (The Chicago Tribune, October 12, 2026).

Recent changes show the federal government’s increasingly heavy hand in the operations of immigration courts in Chicago and beyond

Former Mexico INM chief acquitted for fatal 2023 Juárez detention facility fire

• Blanca Carmona, “Juez Libra a Francisco Garduno de Proceso Penal por Muerte de 40 Migrantes en Ciudad Juarez” (La Verdad (Ciudad Juarez Mexico), October 14, 2026).

Pese a la oposición de las víctimas y sobrevivientes del incendio donde murieron 40 migrantes, el juez federal declaró extinta la causa contra el excomisionado

• Jose Estrada, ““se Premia a Malos Funcionarios en Vez de Sancionarlos”” (Norte (Ciudad Juarez Mexico), October 14, 2026).

Víctimas y familiares de afectados en el incendio de la estación migratoria Lerdo, expresan su dolor en audiencia en la que exculparon al excomisionado del INM, Francisco Garduño; acusan que no tienen acceso a servicios de salud prometidos

• “Absuelven a Francisco Garduno de Incendio y Muertes en Estacion Migratoria” (Norte (Ciudad Juarez Mexico), October 13, 2026).

Durante la audiencia de este martes se extinguió la acción penal en su contra; juez considera que el excomisionado del INM Francisco Garduño cumplió con las condiciones impuestas

• Blanca Elizabeth Carmona, “Absuelven a Francisco Garduno, Extitular del INM en Cd. Juarez” (Milenio (Mexico), October 13, 2026).

Juez federal sobreseyó causa penal contra ex titular del INM, Francisco Garduño Yáñez, por la muerte de 40 migrantes y lesiones de otros 27

Migrant caravan wanes in Chiapas

• Billal Rahman, “Migrant Caravan Faces Food Shortages as It Heads Towards Us Border” (Newsweek, October 7, 2026).
• Todd Bensman, “How to Know When a Mexican Migrant Caravan Really Threatens the Southern Border—a Day Sure to Come” (The Heritage Foundation, The Daily Signal, October 6, 2026).

Border politics ahead of midterms

• Lexi Churchill, Perla Trevizo, “Greg Abbott Keeps Renewing Border Emergency Order Despite Drop in Crossings” (Propublica, Texast Tribune, The Texas Tribune, October 15, 2026).

Since Abbott first declared a border emergency in 2021, he’s renewed or amended the proclamation at least 69 times. The proclamation has greatly expanded his powers

• Federica Cocco, Teo Armus, “The Border Counties That Swung to Trump Are Now Short of Workers. They May Swing Back.” (The Washington Post, October 7, 2026).

Labor scarcity tied to ICE arrests could shake up a trio of battleground House races along the U.S.-Mexico border

Migration politics ahead of midterms

• David Dayen, “Pre-Election ICE Surge in California Could Backfire on Republicans” (The American Prospect, October 14, 2026).

Rep. David Valadao has said the raids target immigrants with criminal records. The United Farm Workers says this is false

• Jessica Washington, “Don't Stop at ICE, Says Progressive Dem: Abolish the Department of Homeland Security” (The Intercept, October 13, 2026).

The bill to eliminate the Department of Homeland Security comes a day after the HSI raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home

• Frank Sharry, Mia Rubio, Sarah Pierce, “On Immigration, Battleground Voters Want Both Order and Opportunity” (Third Way, October 9, 2026).

In the states that will help decide the next presidential election, Donald Trump has lost voters on immigration. But that backlash has not yet translated into trust for Democrats. So what must they do to reestablish themselves as responsible in the minds of voters on this issue?

• Anna Giaritelli, “ICE to Hit California Hard Before Midterm Elections: Sources” (The Washington Examiner, October 7, 2026).

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has launched a month and a half-long immigration enforcement operation across the sanctuary state of California

• Amy Fischer, “It's Time to Abolish ICE” (Amnesty International USA, The Guardian (Uk), October 5, 2026).

Amnesty International is calling for an end to the agency, whose record of violating human rights dates back decades

• Austin Kocher, “The Baseline: Getting Our Bearings in an Age of Mass Deportation” (Documented, October 5, 2026).

The Baseline, a new monthly column from Austin Kocher, explores the impact of rising immigration enforcement

• Camilo Montoya-Galvez, “Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@Camiloreports) on X” (CBS News, Twitter, October 4, 2026).

35-minute conversation with President Trump’s border czar

• Astead Herndon, “The Democrats Who Bet Wrong on ICE” (Vox, October 1, 2026).

A 2025 vote is haunting Jon Ossoff and other Democrats

• Jack Rodriquez-Vars, Nick Miroff, “The Problem With Trump's Crime Claims” (The Atlantic, October 1, 2026).

The president says that his immigration crackdown is behind falling crime rates. The numbers don’t back that up

Other news

• Laura Sanchez Ley, “Pocas Sentencias Llegan a Tribunales por Trafico de Armas en Frontera” (Milenio (Mexico), October 14, 2026).

Pese a la cantidad de decomisos de armas en la frontera México-EU, pocos casos han alcanzado sentencias, revela una investigación de MILENIO

• “Plantan Jardin para Atraer a la Mariposa Quino en el Muro Fronterizo de Playas de Tijuana” (Nomadas (Baja California Mexico), October 13, 2026).

Como parte del proyecto “Camino del Ayaw”, integrantes de la organización Amigos del Parque Binacional de la Amistad realizaron el sábado 10 de octubre una plantación de especies nativas en Playas de Tijuana, con el objetivo de crear un jardín que contribuya a atraer a la mariposa Quino checkerspot

• David J. Bier, “President Trump Cut Legal Immigrant Entries 2.7 Times More Than Illegal Entries” (The Cato Institute, October 8, 2026).
• Charlotte Wade, “Aid Cuts and Continued Needs: The Challenges Facing Volunteers at the Us-Mexico Border” (The New Humanitarian, October 7, 2026).

“People may not see the crisis because they see it as we’ve sealed the gates”

• Liliana Frankel, “School of Welcome: Doors Open for Immigrant Students on Mexico's Southern Border” (The Border Chronicle, October 6, 2026).

Prepa 2 in Tapachula, Chiapas, has become a model of inclusive education by helping immigrant students overcome barriers, find community, and pursue their futures with dedicated educators

• Gary Fields, Rebecca Santana, “A Hearing on Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Deportation Case Is Abruptly Canceled” (Associated Press, Associated Press, October 6, 2026).
• Carlos Cuevas, “El Nuevo Mapa de la Migracion en America Latina: Cubanos y Haitianos Miran Hacia el Sur” (Bloomberg, October 5, 2026).

Del ‘sueño americano’ con el tapón del Darién como protagonista queda poco. Ahora, nuevas rutas migratorias cobran fuerza hacia el sur, con Guyana como puerta de entrada y Brasil y Uruguay como destinos

• Joseph Trevithick, “The P-3 Orion Airborne Early Warning Aircraft Has Flown Its Last Mission” (TWZ, October 5, 2026).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection was the only operator of P-3 AEW aircraft with their radar domes on top, using them to hunt drug smugglers