The ABA Commission on Immigration and the ABA Section of the Civil Rights and Social Justice hosted a webinar designed to offer up-to-date information on enforcement mechanisms at the southwest border including the implementation of the new, abbreviated removal process dubbed Circumvention of Lawful Pathways. Immigration enforcement at the U.S. southwest border has been an ongoing focal point for evolving policy and public discourse, but the manner in which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implements its enforcement actions at the border is often opaque.
Since 2022, the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration has published and updated the Primer on Immigration Enforcement Mechanisms at the U.S. Border in an effort to make the dynamic subject of border enforcement accessible to a broad audience. The most recent release of the Primer includes an in-depth discussion of the mechanics and impact of the Biden Administration’s Circumvention of Lawful Pathways regulation, imposing additional steps and penalties for migrants attempting to enter the U.S. at the southern border. Our panel of experts discusses the regulation, its impact, and the litigation challenging the right to seek asylum under domestic and international law.