New American Immigration Council Report on Immigration Detention Expansion

When President Trump took office in January 2025, there were roughly 40,000 people being held in immigration detention. By the start of December, that number had risen by almost 75 percent, with nearly 66,000 people held in immigration detention across the United States and the system reportedly capable of holding 70,000 people on any given day — the highest level in history.

This report aims to document the historic expansion of detention under the Trump administration. It details not only the policy changes which have led to ICE detention reaching the highest level on record, but also their impact on the individuals who have found themselves locked into it. The growth in immigration detention, and the spectacle which has accompanied the construction and use of new facilities — coupled with the near-elimination of any transparency into the operation and use of those facilities — is the backbone of President Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

As this report reveals, rather than focusing on serious public safety threats and flight risks, the Trump administration is primarily using detention to pressure people into giving up their chance to remain in the United States.

We’re Hiring: Detention Program Supervising Attorney

RMIAN has an immediate opening for a full-time Supervising Attorney in the Detention Program. The Supervising Attorney will manage a team of attorneys providing direct representation to individuals detained at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado, and will provide direct representation to noncitizens at the facility who are selected without regard to the merits of their cases under RMIAN’s universal representation model. 

This position is meant for a seasoned immigration attorney with experience managing others. The Supervising Attorney’s time will be split between a robust caseload and supervision of other attorneys, so experience practicing removal defense immigration law, preferably in a detained setting, along with a strong desire and commitment to managing others, is vital.

The ideal candidate:

• Is an experienced attorney who has a background in immigration law and a strong commitment to immigrant justice. 

• Is an individual with experience supervising other staff members who demonstrates strong leadership skills and skill at mentoring legal professionals.

• Enjoys creative lawyering and working in a collaborative setting but can work independently.

• Is committed to the idea that everyone in removal proceedings deserves to have an attorney.

• Is committed to the principles of human equality, treats everyone with dignity, and is able to effectively and compassionately work with people from diverse backgrounds.

• Has experience representing detained noncitizens in cases complicated by criminal legal contacts.

• Demonstrates empathy, is an active listener, exhibits excellent problem-solving abilities, understands the importance of constructive feedback, and easily builds trust with colleagues.

• Is dedicated to client-centered legal representation.

• Understands how to prioritize. The ideal candidate is organized, efficient, and has a keen eye for detail while keeping an eye on the big picture. This person enjoys handling multiple tasks running in parallel and can triage to meet time-sensitive deadlines while working toward larger goals.

• Is team-oriented and works in collaboration with RMIAN staff members, clients, and community partners while also being able to manage casework and deadlines independently.

• Has a strong commitment to serving low-income and underserved communities, with an ability to relate to and communicate with a broad range of clients and colleagues.

• Is skilled at building rapport with clients and at building relationships with colleagues and external partners (including governmental agencies, nonprofit providers, and community groups). Acts with courtesy, patience, and poise, and is excited to share RMIAN’s work with others.

• Enjoys collaborating with others and understands how to keep people focused on the goal —this person thrives on working as a member of a team and has experience with project management and positively influencing people to get things done. In particular, this person excels at engaging and motivating colleagues at all levels to keep moving toward results.

• Appreciates the need to be responsive and act on time-sensitive inquiries – this person can respond quickly and is skilled at time management.

• Enjoys finding and creating efficiencies – this person naturally conceptualizes workflow through a systems approach, thrives on innovating to make tasks more streamlined, and works quickly and accurately.

• Is able to work autonomously and independently – this person doesn’t require micromanaging and can be trusted to manage and meet deadlines and complete tasks in a timely manner without the need for extensive oversight.

Responsibilities:

Attorney Supervision and Program Management

• Supervise 3-5 Staff Attorneys, ensuring they have the supervision, support, and structure needed to handle their caseloads, and to ensure that program goals are met

• Work with Detention Program Managing Attorney to ensure direct representation team has educational and other supports necessary to continue providing services in a changing and challenging legal environment.

• Work with Detention Program Managing Attorney to create experience-based, reasonable caseload expectations, and ensure the team is meeting those caseload goals.

• Work with the Detention Program Managing Attorney, Deputy Managing Attorney, and Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney to develop strategies for increasing representation based on detention population and RMIAN’s capacity for direct representation and pro bono referrals.

• Work with Detention Program Managing Attorney on reporting to funders as required.

• Coordinate with Detention Program Managing Attorney and RMIAN Social Service Program as needed to ensure RMIAN staff is providing trauma-informed services at all times.

• Provide mentorship and training to direct representation staff attorneys, including by reviewing written work, observing court hearings, and collective brainstorming on case development.

• Contribute to development of template and sample work product libraries.

• Create and implement systems to enhance efficiency of direct representation for detained individuals.

Direct Representation

• Provide high-quality legal representation to detained noncitizens in their immigration legal matters.

• Manage a complex caseload independently with minimal need for supervision or guidance on legal work or strategy. Track and meet all case deadlines. Demonstrate superior legal skills and analysis and high-quality written work that requires minimal review or editing.

Outreach, Community Education, Development, and Organizational Efforts

• Participate in RMIAN’s outreach, community education, and development efforts.

• Foster relationships with clients willing to engage in campaigns to promote public awareness of RMIAN’s work and its impact on people who seek lasting protection from deportation in the United States.

• Participate in community building, committee work and other activities within RMIAN.

Required skills and experience:

• Admission to any state bar.

• Professional proficiency in English and Spanish sufficient to represent clients without an interpreter (will be tested during interviews)

• Immigration law experience in removal defense.

• Deep dedication to immigration legal services, working with individuals in detention, commitment to working with members of marginalized groups, and people with prior history of involvement in the criminal and immigration legal systems.

• Demonstrated cultural competency.

Location:

• This position is based out of RMIAN’s office located in Westminster, Colorado, and requires frequent travel to the Aurora Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado. RMIAN currently operates on a hybrid remote/in-person model, and this position will require a minimum of two full days per week of in-office work.

Compensation:

This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position. Salary is commensurate with experience; the range is between $80,000 to $95,000. Salary includes a generous benefits package which includes:

• Generous paid time off with 15 days of vacation in the first year of employment and an additional 2 days for each additional year of employment, 10 sick days, 11 Federal holidays, plus an annual week-long holiday office closure;

• Excellent health insurance (100% covered by RMIAN);

• Dental & vision insurance (90% covered by RMIAN);

• Life insurance & professional liability insurance (100% covered);

• Professional development funds and opportunities;

• Eligibility to participate in RMIAN’s Simple IRA retirement plan (RMIAN matches 4%)

• Eligibility to participate in RMIAN’s flexible spending plan; and

• Eight-week sabbatical after five years of employment

If this profile calls to you, please send your resume, a writing sample, references, and a short cover letter that explains why this role is a great fit for you to hr@rmian.org.

RMIAN is an equal opportunity employer and recognizes the importance of diversity in the workplace. We encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, women, members of the LGBTQ community, and other underrepresented and marginalized groups. RMIAN does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status or veteran status. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment free from discrimination.

RMIAN signs on to Coalition Letter Urging Congress to Refuse Increased Funding for ICE

RMIAN joined more than 400 other civil rights and human rights organizations to call on Congress to rein in the escalating violence and lawlessness endangering our communities.

What data shows about ICE arrests in Colorado in 2025

Arrest rates through mid-October increased fourfold over 2024

Monique Sherman, the Detention Program Managing Attorney at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, said that the data matches her expectations, and that a much larger share of detained people she saw this year were apprehended internally — at work, home or during a traffic stop — rather than at the border.

Immigrant Rights and Community Activist Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez Released from ICE Detention

On Monday afternoon, December 22nd, Jeannette Vizguerra-Ramirez walked out of the for profit GEO Immigration Detention Center into the loving arms of her family. After nine long months inside the facility, which has suffered extensive criticism for its lack of adequate health care and substandard food lacking nutrition, both of which Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez decried.

On Sunday, an Immigration Judge, in a written decision, ordered the release of the immigrant rights activist on bond after finding that the Department of Homeland Security failed to justify her continued detention at a hearing. Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez’s family posted the bond with support from the esteemed Immigrant Freedom Fund ensuring her release as soon as possible.

Laura Lunn, RMIAN Director of Advocacy & Litigation, celebrated her release, saying “For decades, Jeanette has advocated for her community. When she was detained earlier this year, she needed her community to step up for her - and that is exactly what they did, showing up at vigils each week to remind her and others detained that they are not forgotten. RMIAN is honored to be a part of the team supporting Jeanette, the larger immigrant rights movement, and engaging in necessary legal battles to ensure that people can speak out without facing unlawful restrictions on their liberty and impermissible limits on their freedom of speech.” 

Read the full press release from American Friends Service Committee here.

Law360: Biggest Colorado Cases Of 2025

Judge Halts Warrantless ICE Arrests

Laura Lunn, director of advocacy and litigation at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, said that in a year when people across Colorado have been "terrorized" by mass enforcement actions and "brutal" arrests, the ruling made clear that ICE cannot conduct warrantless arrests without showing good reason.

"Having this type of very clear mandate saying that [ICE] cannot just pick people up kind of willy-nilly, which is what we have been seeing, and instead there has to be clear procedure followed that really goes into what constitutional rights people have in this country is a really critical form of protection for people," Lunn said.

Kids left without representation in Colorado immigration court after federal funding cuts

RMIAN in The New Yorker

Enemies of the State

How the Trump Administration declared war on Venezuelan migrants in the U.S.

By Jonathan Blitzer

Support RMIAN on Colorado Gives Day!

For 25 years, RMIAN has stood alongside immigrants and their families in Colorado—defending due process, protecting human rights, and ensuring that all people have access to justice. Because of supporters like you, RMIAN has provided free legal representation and social service support to tens of thousands of people over the past 25 years. Please donate today to ensure this impact continues! Your generosity ensures that no one faces this system alone—that loved ones have someone to represent them and to protect their rights.

RMIAN 25th Anniversary Celebration & Volunteer Appreciation!

Every day, RMIAN fights for justice and stands alongside individuals who face unimaginable odds: children alone in immigration court, parents separated from their families, and individuals detained without access to legal counsel. Over the past 25 years, RMIAN has provided free legal representation and advocacy to tens of thousands of people in immigration proceedings in Colorado, working alongside our clients and partners to fight for justice. Join us to celebrate this incredible milestone, and to honor the volunteers and supporters who have made this work possible!

RMIAN 25th Anniversary Celebration & Volunteer Appreciation

Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Program begins at 6pm and will include inspiring client stories, and reflections from Hiroshi Motomura, RMIAN Founding Board Member, UCLA Professor of Law, and author of recently published Borders and Belonging: Toward a Fair Immigration Policy.

Schoolyard Beer Garden, Auditorium Event Space

1115 Acoma St

Denver, CO 80204

RSVPs are required to attend this event. Space is limited--please RSVP here today! Please note: this will not be a plated dinner. Guests will enjoy street tacos and drinks. The event space is on the 2nd floor—there is an elevator available for accessibility.

A very special THANK YOU to our incredible event sponsors for making this celebration possible!

The Colorado Health Foundation

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP

Colorado Lawyers Trust Account Foundation (COLTAF)

Cooley LLP

Jerry Glick, Columbia Group LLLP

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

Palmer Polaski PC

Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC

If you are interested in being an event sponsor, please reach out to RMIAN's Director of Development & Communications, Jodi Vongsakoun at development@rmian.org.

Join us for the CBA CLE Immigration Law Training!

Please join the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network and CBA-CLE for our annual Immigration Law CLE training on November 14, 2025! This event will include a substantive review of the requirements for cancellation of removal followed by interactive trial advocacy sessions that are sure to improve your litigation skills (and confidence) in immigration court. Attorneys who agree to take a pro bono case through RMIAN attend for only $75! CLE Credits: General Credits - 5.00

REGISTER NOW!

The need for legal representation in immigration proceedings is greater than ever. Build your skills for defending and advancing the rights of non-citizens during this half-day training offered both in-person and virtually. This training is great for immigration and non-immigration attorneys who have one or fewer years of immigration law experience, and for attorneys who have experience in one area of immigration law and are interested in learning about a new case type.

This year, we will start by reviewing requirements for cancellation of removal, a relief option for some long-term members of our communities and survivors of domestic violence. This substantive training will be followed by a two-hour interactive trial advocacy session focusing on conducting direct examination and responding to objections.

Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. There will also be opportunities to sign up for a case that day, if you are inspired and ready to get started!

Colorado Politics: Federal judge orders release hearing for torture victim in 'abhorrent' immigration custody

Read full article here.

MSN: U.S. citizens, asylum seekers and more: The real people affected by Trump's latest immigration raids

Full article here.

Mother Jones: Trump Disappeared Them to El Salvador. Now, They’re Being Erased by Immigration Courts.

Article here.

Mitú: The Trump Administration Just Cut a Program That Supported Immigrants with Mental Illnesses — And Immigrant Rights Groups are Suing

Article here.

Fox31: Immigrant detained by ICE after hearing in federal courthouse in Denver

Article here.

Denver Post: Feds detain immigrant family at Denver courthouse amid new Trump strategy

Article here.

ICE Arrests Families at Denver Court

Denver, Colorado, May 29, 2025—This morning, ICE arrested a family at the Denver Immigration Court family docket. RMIAN has a daily presence at the court, providing information, Know Your Rights presentations, and legal representation to children and families before the court. At the court this morning, a group of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers surrounded a family of three--their toddler was truly terrified. 

Emily Brock, RMIAN Children's Program Deputy Managing Attorney, was present during the incident. ERO officers refused to allow her to speak to the family before taking them away. This unconscionable act follows a trend playing out in other cities around the U.S. of individuals being arrested while they diligently try to comply with their immigration court hearing dates. This is an absolutely horrifying and traumatic situation for our Colorado community.

Emily Brock stated: "As a parent, I cannot imagine the terror these parents experienced as the officers surrounded them with their child in their arms and told them they were to go with them. As the officers got closer, the little boy's arms clung tighter around his father's neck. To take enforcement action against a family following the rules, attending their proceedings, is an attack on due process and serves only to instigate increased levels of fear in the community."

Read CPR News coverage of the incident here: https://www.cpr.org/2025/05/29/ice-detains-family-denver-immigration-court/

Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network Condemns Use of “Wellness Checks” Because They Threaten Community Safety in Colorado

Westminster, Colorado, June 5, 2025—Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) rejects the idea that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “wellness checks” have the intention of protecting children; they have the opposite effect.

The "wellness checks" being conducted by various federal law enforcement agencies claim to be about ensuring the safety of children. In reality, these visits are part of an ICE directive to locate and investigate unaccompanied children and their sponsors, threatening family unity for kids, many of whom have experienced abuse, abandonment, and neglect.

Dozens of families across the state have reached out to their attorneys at RMIAN detailing disturbing events where federal officers showed up at their homes unannounced, banged on their doors, and demanded information about children living in the home. Far from fostering trust and ensuring the safety of vulnerable children, these visits promote intimidation and terror that families will be separated, detained, and deported. This policy is damaging to vulnerable children, the families who care for them, and creates a deep distrust of law enforcement officials, which deters people from reporting crimes and makes our Colorado community less safe. RMIAN calls on ICE to immediately stop these harmful practices.

Nonprofits Sue to Stop Trump Termination of Program That Provided Attorneys for People in ICE Detention Deemed Mentally Incompetent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media Contacts:
Tara Tidwell Cullen, (312) 833-2967, ttidwellcullen@immigrantjustice.org
Erin Barnaby, 202-360-4248, media@amicacenter.org
ILCM Communications Department, communications@ilcm.org
Oliver Bernstein, American Gateways, Oliver@SteadyHandPR.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 5, 2025) — Nonprofit legal services organizations are suing the Trump administration to restore a critical national program that provided federal funding for legal representation for people deemed mentally incompetent who are detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

On April 25, the administration suddenly, and without explanation, terminated the nationwide provision of the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP) in all but three states where it remains required by court order. The program, launched in 2013 by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security in response to class action litigation, provided counsel to people in immigration detention who had been found by an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals to be mentally incompetent and therefore unable to represent themselves in deportation proceedings. The cancellation came amid a slew of other Trump administration actions ending federal programs that provided access to counsel and due process for immigrants facing deportation. 

About 200 people were receiving legal representation under the program when it was terminated. 

Immigrants and asylum seekers who are deemed mentally incompetent to represent themselves, often on account of severe mental illness or cognitive disability, face extraordinary obstacles in navigating the immigration system, even more so when they are locked in isolated ICE detention centers with limited or no access to mental health care or the outside world. Access to qualified counsel gives individuals a fighting chance to exercise their due process rights under U.S. immigration law and to present evidence, cross-examine witnesses, and participate in a fair hearing. 

The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP are co-counsel in the case representing 9 organizations that provided legal representation under the program: American Gateways, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Estrella del Paso, Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project, NIJC, Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Immigration Services & Legal Advocacy, and the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that the termination of the nationwide NQRP unduly interferes with plaintiffs’ existing attorney-client relationships and violates the Administrative Procedure Act. 

Co-counsel and organizational plaintiffs provided the following statements: 

Keren Zwick, director of litigation, National Immigrant Justice Center:
“Without NQRP, some of the most vulnerable people in our country have been left to fend for themselves in ICE detention and are at grave risk of removal without a court ever considering, or even knowing about, their circumstances or the harms that await them. This lawsuit joins a growing list of legal challenges seeking to stop the Trump administration from eliminating the right to due process for immigrants in our country.” 

Laura Lunn, director of advocacy & litigation, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network:

“The government’s action in cutting funding for court-appointed counsel for people not competent to represent themselves in immigration court is not just heartless and cruel, but also discriminatory against people with disabilities. Without the assistance of attorneys, people will suffer in detention while their cases languish in legal limbo.”

Evan Benz, senior attorney, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights:

"The unlawful termination of NQRP is the latest attack from this administration against vulnerable immigrants. They have cut lawyers for unaccompanied children and legal orientation programs for adults in detention, and now they're trying to take away lawyers for detained immigrants with mental disabilities. These attempts to prevent immigrants at risk of deportation from exercising their rights can not stand. We demand that NQRP be restored nationwide so that we can continue serving clients with mental health conditions or developmental disabilities in immigration court, because no one else can or will."

Edna Yang, co-executive director, American Gateways:
“The sudden end of the NQRP leaves some of the most vulnerable people in our immigration system without any legal support. These individuals, often facing serious mental health challenges, are now left to navigate a complex system alone. At American Gateways, we know how crucial legal representation is for ensuring that everyone has a fair chance in court, especially when their futures are on the line.”

Robyn Meyer-Thompson, supervising attorney, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota:

“Noncitizens in detention with mental health challenges and cognitive disabilities are among the most vulnerable in need of our assistance. The decision to end this program is devastating not only for our clients but also for due process.”

Ryan Brunsink, managing attorney for removal defense, Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center:

“The assault on due process for all persons in the United States remains front and center with the cut to the NQRP. Some of our most vulnerable clients are represented under this program — individuals with intellectual disabilities, severe brain injuries, mental illness, and other disabilities that impact their ability to meaningfully participate in their immigration hearings. Everyone deserves a fair shot to exercise their rights and to seek justice. Without appointed counsel, our NQRP clients cannot do so. It’s our belief in fundamental fairness that compels us to continue our fight through this litigation.”

Liz Hoefer, Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project (GHIRP):
“The NQRP termination is another devastating blow to due process for vulnerable immigrants.  For most individuals who are mentally incompetent, the task of presenting a claim for relief from removal on their own is insurmountable.  Without NQRP, detained immigrants with significant mental health concerns will go unidentified and unrepresented. They will be deported without even understanding the proceedings happening around them, and without the due process they deserve.  As recently as November, GHIRP obtained a grant of asylum for a man from West Africa who would have been subjected to torture in a so-called prayer camp because of his disability had he been returned to his home country. Termination of this program means people like our client will be deported without any meaningful opportunity to fight their case, and with no attorney by their side.”

Homero López, Jr., Legal Director, Immigration Services & Legal Advocacy:

“Our legal system is founded on the principle of due process, and NQRP embodied that value. The termination of NQRP effectively denies the most vulnerable individuals in immigration proceedings — those unable to represent themselves due to mental competency concerns — their opportunity at navigating our complex immigration system.”