Author
New construction reduces housing shortage in most states
Housing shortages have eased in most states since 2020, as new construction has made apartments and houses more affordable. Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island are the only states that have lost housing units per capita since 2020, according to a Stateline analysis of housing data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Most other […]
Some immigrants face indefinite detention, likely leading to Supreme Court case
As appeals courts split on the constitutionality of mandatory detention for millions of immigrants, the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to decide the matter. A Trump administration policy threatening imprisonment without bond has been struck down by three appeals courts, which could soon be joined by a fourth, but upheld by two others. The conflicting […]
Nearly 1 in 3 immigration arrests in AZ since August are ‘collateral’ arrests of noncriminals
A quarter of immigration arrests since August were labeled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as “collateral,” a type of arrest and detention that’s been challenged in court as an end run around civil rights. Public outrage and lawsuits over the arrests may be tamping down the large-scale sweeps that foster them, but tens of […]
Appeals court says Trump administration must open borders to asylum-seekers
An appeals court on Friday struck down the Trump administration’s closing of United States borders to asylum-seekers. An executive order by President Donald Trump on Inauguration Day last year, and later guidance to turn asylum-seekers around without a court hearing, are “unlawful” and “cast aside federal laws affording individuals the right to apply and be […]
Surprise ICE detention plan scaled back from 1,500 beds to 542
Some of the Trump administration’s controversial new warehouse immigration detention centers are getting scaled back and postponed as states and cities fight back and new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reviews actions taken by his ousted predecessor, Kristi Noem. Some states and cities have seen more communication and compromise as Mullin takes over and the […]
Immigrants who sought asylum during border surge under increasing pressure
The millions of migrants who were released into the country during the immigration surge that began in 2021 and peaked in 2023 caused a political firestorm when Republican states transported them to Democratic cities. Now, according to a new analysis, many of them are back working in the states that expelled them. Many of the […]
Opioid overdose deaths dropped nearly 50% nationally — but not in Arizona
Since their peak less than three years ago, opioid overdose deaths dropped nearly by half as of October, according to a Stateline analysis. The drop comes as a shrinking fentanyl supply has made the drug weaker and less deadly and volunteer efforts get more people into treatment. The weaker fentanyl tracks to a crackdown on […]
29 states and DC now reject federal vaccine guidance
Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia now reject at least some federal vaccine guidance as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to de-emphasize the importance of childhood vaccinations under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., according to research by KFF, a nonprofit health policy organization based in […]
E-Verify requirements draw business pushback in some Republican states
Pressured by businesses on the importance of immigrant labor, some Republican states are backing off plans to require all employers to check for legal employment status before hiring workers. State and federal legislation to require that employers use E-Verify, a federal system to check legal status, has been limited this year as a push grows […]
As Trump administration pushes for more detentions, immigrants’ options for parole shrink
Despite immigration detention numbers receding from recent highs and even as conservative judges are opting to release more detainees by rejecting President Donald Trump’s mass detention policy, tools for detainees to seek release or appeal cases are disappearing. A proposed federal rule will make it harder to appeal immigration cases nationally. And a federal appeals […]
Jobs report shows a historic stall in hiring last year
U.S. jobs increased by 130,000 in January, buoyed by hires in health care, social assistance and construction. But in another sign of anemic hiring last year, estimates for 2025 were revised down by more than a million jobs to a level of low growth rarely seen outside of recessions. The revisions show the United States […]
ICE detention passed 70,000 in January, nearly 75% have no criminal record
Despite the high-profile U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Minnesota, ICE arrests were down slightly in January compared to December, according to new data. Immigrant detention nationwide also reached a new high in January, and a growing percentage — nearly three-quarters — of people in detention have no criminal convictions. ICE arrested 36,579 people […]