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Immigration

TSA Workers Miss Paychecks as DHS Shutdown Enters Week 6

What Happened The Department of Homeland Security has been partially shut down for over six weeks, leaving approximately 61,000 TSA workers — 95% of the agency’s workforce — working without pay despite being classified as essential employees. These workers have missed two full paychecks and a partial one since February 14, when DHS funding lapsed. The shutdown was triggered after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during a federal immigration crackdown in early February.

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ICE Deaths Hit Record Pace in 2026 as Detention Expands

What Happened The death of Royer Perez-Jimenez this week marks at least the 13th reported death in ICE custody in 2026, putting the agency on track for one of its deadliest years on record. ICE classified Perez-Jimenez’s death as a “presumed suicide,” though details about the circumstances remain limited. Just days earlier, Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal died on Saturday while in ICE custody in Dallas. Paktiawal’s case has drawn particular attention because he was an Afghan refugee who had worked with U.

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ICE Raids Force Immigrant Families Into Lockdown Across US

What Happened Across major U.S. cities, immigrant communities are experiencing widespread fear and isolation as ICE conducts immigration enforcement operations. In Los Angeles, car wash workers are sheltering at home after repeated raids at their workplaces, according to Flor Melendrez, executive director of the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center. “Family members, they’re just asking them: stay home,” Melendrez said. “It’s not safe out there.” In Minneapolis, pediatrician Dr. Bryan Fate reports an “eerie calm” in his waiting rooms as families skip routine medical checkups for their children.

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How ICE Evolved From 4-Person Agency to 22,000-Strong Force

What Happened Vox’s investigation into ICE’s historical claims reveals a striking transformation in American immigration enforcement. The agency’s website states that “despite U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s relatively young age, its functional history predates the modern birth of the agency by more than 200 years.” This “functional history” refers to the evolution of federal immigration services that began in 1891 with the creation of the first federal immigration agency—a modest operation with just 4 employees.

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