At Mount Vernon, America's 250th birthday became a citizenship story
150 people from 50 countries took the oath of US citizenship at George Washington's estate on 4 July — giving the semiquincentennial a human scale.
Marcus Reeve 4 min read
Immigration
Immigration is reported here on both sides of the Atlantic. The American thread follows the Supreme Court handing the Trump administration a run of wins, including the green-card case, alongside a judge barring arrests at courthouses, ICE offloading warehouse detention sites after lawsuits, and talks with Jamaica over third-country deportees. The British thread runs from the promised independent asylum appeals body, with the tribunal backlog past 139,000, to the watchdog's warning that large asylum sites cost more than hotels — and, at Mount Vernon, America's 250th birthday becoming a citizenship story.
Supreme Court Immigration Rulings Hand Trump a Run of Wins
A series of decisions touching temporary protected status and asylum has strengthened the White House's hand and reignited the row over executive power.
Marcus Reeve 4 min read
ICE to offload warehouse detention sites after lawsuits
US officials plan to shed some warehouse properties bought for immigrant detention after legal challenges and cost questions complicated the programme.
Marcus Reeve 3 min read
US and Jamaica in talks over accepting third-country deportees, minister confirms
A proposed arrangement could see Jamaica take up to 25 people every fortnight from other nations, with details on housing and compensation still being worked out as opposition figures raise concerns.
Marcus Reeve 5 min read
Judge orders ICE to free Wisconsin mosque leader, citing a 'substantial' free-speech claim
A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to release Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin's largest mosque, while his case proceeds, ruling he raised a serious claim that he was targeted for pro-Palestinian advocacy.
Marcus Reeve 5 min read
Eight sentenced over shooting outside Texas immigration detention centre
Lengthy prison terms in a case prosecutors linked to a protest reignite debate over political extremism, public safety and the policing of demonstrations.
Marcus Reeve 3 min read
Supreme Court sides with Trump administration in green-card case
The US justices backed the government's authority over green-card holders accused of crimes, a ruling with wide immigration implications.
Marcus Reeve 3 min read
US judge bars immigration arrests at courthouses
A federal judge has blocked a Trump administration policy that allowed immigration officers to detain people attending court hearings.
Marcus Reeve 4 min read
Watchdog warning collides with the politics: large asylum sites 'cost more than hotels'
Auditors have found the Home Office's flagship large-site accommodation costs more per night than hotels while delivering fewer beds — a finding that lands as parties sharpen rival deportation pledges ahead of the next election.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
New independent asylum appeals body promised as tribunal backlog passes 139,000
Ministers want to lift asylum and human-rights appeals out of the overloaded courts and into a faster body of trained adjudicators. Lawyers warn speed must not come at the cost of fairness.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Immigration becomes a fault line as Labour leadership race opens
With Sir Keir Starmer announcing his resignation, the battle to succeed him will be fought partly over asylum, deportations and whether Britain should stay in the ECHR.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Councils test the courts over asylum hotels as the Bell Hotel fight returns to the Court of Appeal
Epping Forest District Council is pressing on with a legal challenge over the use of a local hotel for asylum accommodation, in a case being watched by authorities across England weighing similar action.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Europe tightens its returns rules as the UK-France pilot enters its decision phase
Brussels has agreed a sweeping new EU Returns Regulation just as the New Pact on Migration and Asylum takes effect — reshaping the legal landscape around the UK's 'one-in, one-out' arrangement with France.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Family returns plan sparks backlash as charities warn of 'enforced destitution'
A 12-week consultation on returning refused families would scale back support for those with no legal right to remain. Refugee groups say the proposals risk pushing children into poverty.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Backlog at five-year low as Home Office leans on cash-for-returns pilot
Initial-decision asylum cases have fallen to around 35,700, their lowest since 2020, while a new pilot offering families up to £40,000 to leave voluntarily faces questions over how many have actually taken it up.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Illegal working raids hit record levels as employer fines top £130m
Enforcement teams carried out more than 17,400 raids in 18 months, and right-to-work duties are set to extend to gig workers and agency staff for the first time.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
People-smuggling arrests jump 55% as NCA targets the gangs behind the boats
Around 300 arrests in the year to April 2026, 400 disruptions of criminal networks and more than 500 boats and engines seized: the National Crime Agency sets out the scale of its campaign against Channel smuggling.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Visa 'brake' blocks student and worker applications from four countries
A new mechanism lets ministers freeze visa routes from nationalities deemed high-risk for asylum claims, starting with Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
710 in one day: Channel sees its busiest day of 2026 as summer crossing season opens
Some 710 people arrived on 11 boats on 15 June, the largest single-day total of the year so far, after a six-day weather lull — underlining how quickly arrivals climb once conditions calm.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Asylum support shifts from legal duty to ministerial discretion
From June, the Home Office no longer has a binding duty to support destitute asylum seekers, replacing it with a discretionary power and the ability to suspend payments for unauthorised work.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Net migration falls to 171,000 as work and study arrivals drop
Official estimates show net migration has nearly halved year on year, extending a steep decline from the 2023 peak — with both British and EU flows now negative.
Eleanor Whitfield 7 min read
Belfast counts the cost as week of disorder grips Northern Ireland
Several nights of violence that left families homeless and dozens of officers injured have prompted soul-searching across Northern Ireland, with politicians condemning attacks that spread from Belfast to other towns.
Eleanor Whitfield 8 min read
Channel crossings and asylum claims fall, but small boats remain stubbornly visible
Official figures show around 36,000 people arrived by small boat in the year to May 2026, down 13 per cent, as net migration drops close to pre-pandemic levels.
Eleanor Whitfield 8 min read