Margy O’Herron
@margyoh.bsky.social
Immigration Law and Policy Expert | Senior Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU | Migration and Human Rights Fellow, Cornell Law School | Former Biden Administration Domestic Policy Council | Former Department of Justice
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
Proud to have signed this with many of my former colleagues.
Foreign students and scholars offer new perspectives and experiences to our universities, our students, and ultimately our society. Attacking and shutting our doors to them ultimately makes our nation poorer.
Foreign students and scholars offer new perspectives and experiences to our universities, our students, and ultimately our society. Attacking and shutting our doors to them ultimately makes our nation poorer.
Former ambassadors and senior State Department officials — including Steady State members — warn that the U.S. is targeting foreign students and scholars for their lawful speech, undermining free-expression principles and harming America’s global standing.
drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
November 21, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Proud to have signed this with many of my former colleagues.
Foreign students and scholars offer new perspectives and experiences to our universities, our students, and ultimately our society. Attacking and shutting our doors to them ultimately makes our nation poorer.
Foreign students and scholars offer new perspectives and experiences to our universities, our students, and ultimately our society. Attacking and shutting our doors to them ultimately makes our nation poorer.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
NEW: I wrote for @statecourtreport.org about the important role *state* law plays in immigration enforcement, and some ongoing litigation in WI, NY, and CA that will shape the relationship between ICE and the states and localities in which it operates. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
State Challenges to Immigration Enforcement Practices
Recent lawsuits in Wisconsin, New York, and California explore questions about the role of state law in federal immigration enforcement.
statecourtreport.org
November 20, 2025 at 8:55 PM
NEW: I wrote for @statecourtreport.org about the important role *state* law plays in immigration enforcement, and some ongoing litigation in WI, NY, and CA that will shape the relationship between ICE and the states and localities in which it operates. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
Instead of hiring more immigration judges, the Department of Justice just posted an ad for "deportation judges." join.justice.gov
November 21, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Instead of hiring more immigration judges, the Department of Justice just posted an ad for "deportation judges." join.justice.gov
It is very difficult for immigrants to "get in line" to come to the United States because the line often has been shut down or is years long. This broken system hurts American families and employers. I was happy to partner with Gabriella Sanchez for an immigration Q&A.
“I think most don’t realize how hard it is to immigrate legally to the United States,” says former senior policy official @margyoh.bsky.social. She explains other surprising facts about the immigration system in a wide-ranging new Q&A:
An Insider’s View of the Immigration System
A former senior immigration policy official offers insight into how the system works and highlights urgent problems that must be addressed.
www.brennancenter.org
November 17, 2025 at 9:15 PM
It is very difficult for immigrants to "get in line" to come to the United States because the line often has been shut down or is years long. This broken system hurts American families and employers. I was happy to partner with Gabriella Sanchez for an immigration Q&A.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
This is correct! Researchers find that a) most people underestimate the administrative burdens of immigration, and b) when informed about these burdens become more supportive of immigration.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
November 17, 2025 at 5:52 PM
This is correct! Researchers find that a) most people underestimate the administrative burdens of immigration, and b) when informed about these burdens become more supportive of immigration.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
After DOJ changed its regulation (arguably without sufficient notice and comment) to allow "any lawyer" to serve as an immigration judge, active duty military lawyers are now overseeing civilian immigration courts.
November 13, 2025 at 9:12 PM
After DOJ changed its regulation (arguably without sufficient notice and comment) to allow "any lawyer" to serve as an immigration judge, active duty military lawyers are now overseeing civilian immigration courts.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
Margy O’Herron, investigadora fellow sénior del Brennan Center, revela cómo funciona el sistema de inmigración, qué cosas han cambiado con la actual administración y qué nuevos desafíos enfrenta el sistema. Vía @uninoticias.bsky.social #BrennanEnEspañol #[bit.ly/3XoxnQ2
Cómo funciona el sistema de inmigración y qué cambió con Trump: una perspectiva desde adentro
Margy O’Herron, investigadora fellow sénior del
<i>Brennan Center for Justice</i>, revela cómo funciona el sistema de inmigración, qué ha cambiado bajo la actual administración y qué nuevos desafíos enfrenta el sistema. O’Herron fue asesora sénior de políticas de inmigración en la Casa Blanca durante la administración Biden y trabajó en el Departamento de Justicia, donde gestionó la cartera de inmigración de la oficina del vicefiscal general y formó parte de la Junta de Apelaciones de Inmigración.. | Noticias Univision Política | Univision
www.univision.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Margy O’Herron, investigadora fellow sénior del Brennan Center, revela cómo funciona el sistema de inmigración, qué cosas han cambiado con la actual administración y qué nuevos desafíos enfrenta el sistema. Vía @uninoticias.bsky.social #BrennanEnEspañol #[bit.ly/3XoxnQ2
The FBI now is pointing out the public safety risks of federal immigration agents' failure to identify themselves. fox56news.com/hill-politic...
FBI urges ICE to ID themselves as criminals impersonate officers
The FBI is urging partner agencies to “adequately identify themselves” amid a string of cases in which those impersonating U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers committed cr…
fox56news.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:16 PM
The FBI now is pointing out the public safety risks of federal immigration agents' failure to identify themselves. fox56news.com/hill-politic...
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
ICE will arrest anyone—even a 16-year-old who just wants to get back to class.
Joel Camas may be the first unaccompanied minor detained by Trump this term.
Joel Camas may be the first unaccompanied minor detained by Trump this term.
October 27, 2025 at 5:37 PM
ICE will arrest anyone—even a 16-year-old who just wants to get back to class.
Joel Camas may be the first unaccompanied minor detained by Trump this term.
Joel Camas may be the first unaccompanied minor detained by Trump this term.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
They have tear gassed a parade of trick or treating children. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/26/f...
Feds Tear Gas Northwest Side Street, Disrupting Halloween Parade For Kids
Two neighbors, including a 70-year-old man, were arrested after allegedly interfering in the arrest of another man by immigration agents, neighbors said. Agents also threw a woman, 67, to the ground.
blockclubchicago.org
October 27, 2025 at 3:32 PM
They have tear gassed a parade of trick or treating children. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/26/f...
It was quite an honor to be cited in @HC_Richardson's letter, although I wish it were under better circumstances.
The federal government is fast-tracking the hire of 10,000 ICE agents — but a past rush to hire 5,000 Border Patrol officers led to more corruption and bribery tied to trafficking and smuggling operations, notes @margyoh.bsky.social. Read @hcrichardson.bsky.social’s latest:
October 23, 2025
Julia Ainsley and Didi Martinez of NBC News reported today that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s rush to get new recruits onto the street has meant they have pushed into their training program mo...
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:32 PM
It was quite an honor to be cited in @HC_Richardson's letter, although I wish it were under better circumstances.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
Excellent Expert Brief on Denaturalization including the relevant legal precedent from @brennancenter.org by @faizapatel.bsky.social & @margyoh.bsky.social. 🗃️
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Stripping Naturalized Americans of Citizenship Faces High Legal Hurdles
The Trump administration may want to aggressively denaturalize citizens, but the Supreme Court has forbidden doing so when a person’s political beliefs are a focus.
www.brennancenter.org
October 25, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Excellent Expert Brief on Denaturalization including the relevant legal precedent from @brennancenter.org by @faizapatel.bsky.social & @margyoh.bsky.social. 🗃️
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
In 2024, there were 735 immigration judges. Now there are fewer than 600. E. Tammy Kim reports on the attack on immigration courts.
Inside Donald Trump’s Attack on Immigration Courts
Judges describe a campaign of firings and interference which threatens the system’s independence.
www.newyorker.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:33 PM
In 2024, there were 735 immigration judges. Now there are fewer than 600. E. Tammy Kim reports on the attack on immigration courts.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
Democrats are launching an ICE-tracker app
They are setting up a system to crowdsource information from the public and have it vetted and organized reliably.
They are setting up a system to crowdsource information from the public and have it vetted and organized reliably.
October 24, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Democrats are launching an ICE-tracker app
They are setting up a system to crowdsource information from the public and have it vetted and organized reliably.
They are setting up a system to crowdsource information from the public and have it vetted and organized reliably.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
The provisions in this year's NDAA changing how the military acquires and tests weapons would increase waste and undermine the Pentagon’s ability to discern the proper role of emerging technologies like AI in filling capability gaps, write @amostoh.bsky.social and Julia Gledhill.
How Acquisition Reform Could Make Military AI More Expensive and Less Safe
Proposed changes to how the military acquires and tests weapons expose taxpayers to more wasteful spending while undermining the delivery of safe and effective capabilities.
www.lawfaremedia.org
October 9, 2025 at 5:53 PM
The provisions in this year's NDAA changing how the military acquires and tests weapons would increase waste and undermine the Pentagon’s ability to discern the proper role of emerging technologies like AI in filling capability gaps, write @amostoh.bsky.social and Julia Gledhill.
The great majority of immigrants getting locked up have no criminal background, and many are in lawful status -- nowhere near the "worst of the worst." U.S. citizens are being swept up too. It's unAmerican and it wastes taxpayer money.
Who is ICE detaining to meet its target of 1 million deportations a year?
As Margy O’Herron (@brennancenter.org) explains, most are not criminals, many have legal protections, and some are even U.S. citizens.
www.justsecurity.org/121122/us-de...
As Margy O’Herron (@brennancenter.org) explains, most are not criminals, many have legal protections, and some are even U.S. citizens.
www.justsecurity.org/121122/us-de...
The Deportation Industrial Complex: Arrest and Detention Numbers
Detaining citizens & immigrants without a public safety rationale is inconsistent with American values and wastes of taxpayer money.
www.justsecurity.org
September 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The great majority of immigrants getting locked up have no criminal background, and many are in lawful status -- nowhere near the "worst of the worst." U.S. citizens are being swept up too. It's unAmerican and it wastes taxpayer money.
The Trump administration’s plan to use 600 military lawyers as temporary immigration judges, with some starting as soon as this week, will deprive immigrants of a fair hearing and further erode the line between military personnel and civilian government. 1/14
September 5, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The Trump administration’s plan to use 600 military lawyers as temporary immigration judges, with some starting as soon as this week, will deprive immigrants of a fair hearing and further erode the line between military personnel and civilian government. 1/14
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
The Voting Rights Act, the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement, is under attack. Join us on Tuesday, August 19, at 3 p.m. ET for a free virtual event with experts to explore its legacy and its future. RSVP: bit.ly/46MuApV
The Past, Present, and Future of the Voting Rights Act
Experts discuss what remains of the landmark 1965 law after decades of attacks.
www.brennancenter.org
August 14, 2025 at 9:39 PM
The Voting Rights Act, the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement, is under attack. Join us on Tuesday, August 19, at 3 p.m. ET for a free virtual event with experts to explore its legacy and its future. RSVP: bit.ly/46MuApV
Who gets banned this time? Muslims, Africans, Haitians, and Venezuelans, all people the president has stigmatized. Doug Rand and I explain why the government's own data doesn't support its claims. The picture tells the story.
August 14, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Who gets banned this time? Muslims, Africans, Haitians, and Venezuelans, all people the president has stigmatized. Doug Rand and I explain why the government's own data doesn't support its claims. The picture tells the story.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
BREAKING: Eight former New York judges, including the former Chief Judge and Chief Administrative Judge, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in United States v. New York. Allowing ICE to make warrantless civil arrests at courthouses undermines the proper functioning of state courts.
United States v. State of New York
The Brennan Center, along with co-counsel Levine Lee, filed an amicus brief on behalf of former New York judges and justices in defense of New York’s Protect Our Courts Act. The brief argues that allo...
www.brennancenter.org
August 11, 2025 at 7:18 PM
BREAKING: Eight former New York judges, including the former Chief Judge and Chief Administrative Judge, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in United States v. New York. Allowing ICE to make warrantless civil arrests at courthouses undermines the proper functioning of state courts.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
Congress can fix these problems and stop future executives from overstepping by giving residents of DC the kind of true self-governance that all other Americans enjoy. They can start by granting control over the DC National Guard to the mayor. slate.com/news-and-pol...
D.C.’s National Guard Should Be Controlled by Its Mayor, Not by a President Like Trump
The National Guard didn’t turn up in time on Jan. 6, but Congress may be about to fix that.
slate.com
August 11, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Congress can fix these problems and stop future executives from overstepping by giving residents of DC the kind of true self-governance that all other Americans enjoy. They can start by granting control over the DC National Guard to the mayor. slate.com/news-and-pol...
The president’s take over of DC local policing is an improper use of emergency powers. Check out @josephanunn.bsky.social’s explanation.
THREAD: This morning, President Trump and members of his cabinet announced a set of sweeping, unprecedented, and unwarranted actions to impose federal control over local policing in Washington, D.C.
August 12, 2025 at 4:18 PM
The president’s take over of DC local policing is an improper use of emergency powers. Check out @josephanunn.bsky.social’s explanation.
Reposted by Margy O’Herron
@lizagoitein.bsky.social @josephanunn.bsky.social @stevevladeck.bsky.social and I have been arguing for reforming the #DC #National Guard, which is "outdated and dangerous."
Re-upping two articles via @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/79971/2022-u...
www.justsecurity.org/74098/why-d-...
Re-upping two articles via @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/79971/2022-u...
www.justsecurity.org/74098/why-d-...
2022 Update: Good Governance Paper No. 6: Domestic Military Operations
At one-year mark of Biden administration, top experts revisit proposals to restore and promote nonpartisan principles of good government.
www.justsecurity.org
August 11, 2025 at 5:11 PM
@lizagoitein.bsky.social @josephanunn.bsky.social @stevevladeck.bsky.social and I have been arguing for reforming the #DC #National Guard, which is "outdated and dangerous."
Re-upping two articles via @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/79971/2022-u...
www.justsecurity.org/74098/why-d-...
Re-upping two articles via @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/79971/2022-u...
www.justsecurity.org/74098/why-d-...
CBP is supercharging border surveillance and, as @sreynolds.bsky.social points out, there is significant risk that those efforts will bleed into the rest of the country.
Essential reading on border surveillance tech, its human impact, and the risk it will move inward.
As part of this apparatus, a U.S. Intelligence Community element helps CBP analyze the phones and laptops it seizes at the border. I spoke with the author about the activity's lax rules and risks.
As part of this apparatus, a U.S. Intelligence Community element helps CBP analyze the phones and laptops it seizes at the border. I spoke with the author about the activity's lax rules and risks.
Drones, spy blimps, and motion-triggered cameras—the border is now a testing ground for dystopian surveillance. From James Baratta, the high-tech machine behind the border industrial complex:
trib.al/xNL3uaj
trib.al/xNL3uaj
August 7, 2025 at 1:23 AM
CBP is supercharging border surveillance and, as @sreynolds.bsky.social points out, there is significant risk that those efforts will bleed into the rest of the country.