Policy Updates

The Senate took the first in a series of votes on Wednesday afternoon to pass a reconciliation bill that would add $70 billion to immigration enforcement. Senate leadership had planned to pass the funding last month, but faced a revolt in their own party against billions in funding for the president’s ballroom and “anti-weaponization” slush … Continued

Last week, USCIS released a policy memo which could have significant impacts on those already in the United States who seek to adjust status to that of a Lawful Permanent Resident, a process that has been common and routine for decades. Adjustment of status has always been discretionary, but the new memo tips the scales … Continued

President Trump is now targeting immigrant access to banks through a new executive order. The order directs the Secretary of Treasury to issue new advisories and regulations dealing with the “risks” of lending to non-citizens, especially those without status. This is a slightly weaker policy than anticipated; previous news reports indicated that the administration would … Continued

The administration announced that David Venturella, a former executive at the GEO Group, will replace Todd Lyons as the acting head of ICE. Venturella left the GEO Group in 2023 and has recently been working at ICE overseeing detention contracts.  Relatedly, a recent analysis by Politico found that federal judges have ruled against mandatory detention … Continued

The administration’s assaults on residents with status continue as they delay employment authorization renewals for DACA recipients. Applicants, who have filed timely applications for renewal, are seeing processing times 5 times longer than last year. These processing delays mean that many are not receiving decisions in a timely manner, meaning they are being fired from … Continued

Early Thursday morning, Senate Republicans approved a budget resolution to pass funding for DHS through reconciliation, in an effort to avoid policy changes demanded by Democrats. The vote was only the first step in a long and complicated process, the same process Congress used to pass the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that provided $170 … Continued

A recent poll for the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition shows strong national support for maintaining social safety net programs for lawfully present immigrants, including reversing the cuts made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The poll results also showed opposition to ICE enforcement tactics, including data sharing among federal agencies and enforcement activities at … Continued

As the partial government shutdown approaches 2 months, an apparent agreement to end the shutdown last week quickly fell apart as House Republicans rejected the effort before leaving for a 2-week recess. Pressure has been building on Congress to end the shutdown as TSA staffing issues have led to long security lines at airports. Last … Continued