## Appeals court revives church-arrest challenge

**In a 2–1 decision, the D.C. Circuit found that 27 Christian and Jewish religious groups had shown a credible threat of immigration enforcement at or near their houses of worship under the administration’s policy, as** **[Courthouse News Service reported](https://www.courthousenews.com/dc-circuit-sides-with-religious-groups-in-fight-to-block-ice-church-raids/)**. The panel [reversed the district court’s finding that the groups lacked standing](https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/10/25-5209-2199126.pdf) and sent the case back for the district judge to reconsider their request for a preliminary injunction. [Courthouse News Service, D.C. Circuit]

## Visa revocations exceed 300,000

**[Reuters reported](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-says-it-has-revoked-over-300000-visas-2026-10-20/)** **that the State Department says more than 300,000 visas have been revoked since President Trump returned to office.** The report says revocations accelerated in recent weeks; the State Department had reported more than 175,000 on August 10. [The New York Post also reported the October 20 announcement](https://nypost.com/2026/10/20/us-news/over-300k-visas-revoked-so-far-in-trumps-second-term-state-department-announces/). Separately, an unnamed State Department official told [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/20/trump-official-claims-record-breaking-300000-visas-were-revoked) that more than 4,000 revocations were tied to alleged birth tourism. [Reuters, The New York Post, Al Jazeera]

## Family and ICE dispute care before Laredo death

**Emiliano Andrade Covarrubias, 56, was found unresponsive in his bed at an immigration detention facility in Laredo; he had diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition, and an autopsy was pending.** His daughter said [he did not receive the medication and care he needed](https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-10-20/emiliano-andrades-daughter-blames-ice-for-his-death-my-father-did-not-receive-the-medical-attention-he-desperately-needed.html). DHS said he received proper care, while Rep. Henry Cuellar said detainees told him medication had been withheld; [ICE published its account of the death](https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/criminal-alien-mexico-passes-away-ice-custody-texas). [FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, EL PAÍS English, ICE]

## Mahmoud Khalil asks the Supreme Court to review his detention case

**Mahmoud Khalil has asked the Supreme Court to review a Third Circuit ruling that federal courts cannot hear his detention challenge before he exhausts immigration proceedings.** The Associated Press [reported that the appeals court overturned a lower-court order for his release on jurisdictional grounds](https://apnews.com/article/mahmoud-khalil-supreme-court-palestinian-protests-columbia-8ac4b21f75a38a0165c92ee1a14f093e); the [Center for Constitutional Rights says](https://ccrjustice.org/home/press-center/press-releases/mahmoud-khalil-asks-supreme-court-review-his-case-citing-violations) Khalil argues that federal courts should be able to hear his claim that detention and removal proceedings retaliated against his protected speech. Habeas corpus lets someone ask a court to review whether the government is holding them unlawfully; [his petition asks whether federal law bars that review and, if so, whether the bar is constitutional in his case](https://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/attach/2026/09/10-19-26_Petition-for-Writ-Certiorari_w.pdf). [Associated Press, Center for Constitutional Rights]

## Around the system

- **Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia backed a challenge to warrantless civil immigration arrests.** Their [amicus brief argues that officers need probable cause to believe someone is unlawfully present and likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained](https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/News-Room/Current-News/26-5045%20-%20Brief%20of%20Amici%20States%20-%20Filed.pdf?language_id=1). [State Attorneys General]

- **Civil-rights groups sued for records about mass immigration-court calendars in San Francisco.** Mission Local reports that the groups [raise due-process concerns about the “mega master” hearings](https://missionlocal.org/2026/10/san-francisco-mega-master-immigration-hearings-records-lawsuit/). [Mission Local]

- **The Marshall Project sued for nationwide access to ICE and CBP detention data.** It is seeking [names, ages and locations from ICE’s detention database](https://www.themarshallproject.org/2026/10/20/lawsuit-ice-detention-list-names). [The Marshall Project]

- **The Board of Immigration Appeals changed how evidence may be treated in motions to reopen.** In *Matter of J-E-D-C-*, decided October 19, the Board held that immigration judges and the BIA [need not accept facts in supporting affidavits or declarations as true](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1466896/dl?inline=), even when the statements are not inherently unbelievable. [Board of Immigration Appeals]

- **Border Report says at least 30 detainees are on hunger strike at the El Valle Detention Facility, including 13 on a “dry hunger” strike.** Detainees alleged poor and unsanitary conditions; ICE denied their allegations and said detainees receive meals, drinking water, blankets, medical treatment and opportunities to contact family and lawyers. [Border Report](https://www.borderreport.com/border-report-tour/border-report-live/hunger-strike-reported-at-immigration-detention-center/) [Border Report]

- **A Savannah police officer’s Flock credentials were used by her husband, an ICE agent.** WJCL’s review of city investigative records found [983 searches involving 97 license plates across six states](https://www.wjcl.com/article/savannah-police-officer-ice-agent-flock-access/74135816), including 788 involving South Carolina plates. The husband said he searched for ICE targets with active warrants; the city said it had not authorized ICE access. [WJCL]

- **Documented published a Chinese-language guide for New Yorkers assessing public-charge risks.** It includes [official guidance and local legal-support resources](https://documentedny.com/2026/10/20/chinese-language-public-charge-resources/); the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs says the rule does not apply to every immigrant and advises people to consult a trusted legal provider before stopping needed benefits. [Documented, NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs]

- **Nearly three-quarters of minors recorded before the Charlotte Immigration Court lacked counsel.** Enlace Latino NC reports that [635 of 866 minors recorded from January through August 2026 had no lawyer](https://enlacelatinonc.org/mas-del-73-de-los-menores-ante-la-corte-de-inmigracion-de-charlotte-no-tenia-abogado/), or 73%. [Enlace Latino NC]