- A federal judge in California ruled on Tuesday that the Trump Administration “willfully” broke the law by deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles in June following protests against heavy-handed immigration enforcement tactics. The judge found that the deployment was in violation of federal law, which bars the use of the military for the enforcement of domestic laws. The judge has prohibited troops from making arrests, conducting searches, or collecting evidence. While the court’s order is limited only to actions in California, it provides a road map for other states and cities being threatened with military intervention, such as Chicago, Boston, and Baltimore. The administration has already notified the court of its intention to appeal this decision to the Circuit Court.
- Venezuelans who received Temporary Protected Status under the 2021 designation are set to lose their protection in the next couple of months. While TPS for this population, estimated to be about 256,000 people, was originally set to expire on September 10, the Trump Administration only announced the termination yesterday and has yet to officially publish the termination in the federal register. By law, the status may not expire until 60 days after the administration has officially published the decision. Expect the decision to be published in the next few days, followed by a flurry of lawsuits. Individuals at risk of losing their status should speak to an attorney as soon as possible to see if any forms of relief might be available.
- On Friday, USCIS issued a new policy prohibiting nonprofits from conducting voter registration at administrative naturalization ceremonies, permitting only state and local officials to do so. This policy does not cover judicial naturalization ceremonies, where the majority of new citizens are sworn in. MIRA, along with our dedicated volunteers, has helped over 1,000 new Americans register to vote at judicial ceremonies since the beginning of last year and will continue to do so absent any further policy changes.
- On Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi stripped protections from those fleeing domestic violence or gang violence. Under the Obama Administration, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) had expanded the definition of “membership in a particular social group” for purposes of asylum applicants to include women fleeing domestic violence and individuals and families threatened by gang violence. This decision was later reversed under the first Trump Administration by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, overruling the BIA. The Biden Administration quickly re-instated the BIA decision. It is no surprise that the Trump Administration would once again strip away these protections, but still heartbreaking that they would leave so many vulnerable women and families to fend for themselves. Click here to find disaster recovery information and resources for immigrants in 19 languages, including a digital toolkit, from Protecting Immigrant Families
- The Trump Administration continues to turn US Citizenship and Immigration Services from a service-providing agency – as stated in the agency’s name – into an enforcement agency, this time by adding armed “special agents” with the ability to conduct arrests. In a press release today, agency Secretary Noem falsely claimed that, “USCIS has always been an enforcement agency,” however, the agency has always been focused on the provision of services, referring enforcement issues to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The fact that USCIS has previously had no use for such “special agents” in its 22 year history should make this fact obvious.
- Last week, the Washington Post reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had placed restrictions on nonprofits serving undocumented immigrants during a disaster. MIRA wants to clarify that this article refers to the FY25 Standard Terms and Conditions issued in April, which are already being challenged in federal court. Any grants which had been awarded to nonprofits prior to April 2025 are not impacted by these terms and conditions.
- On Tuesday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump Administration’s attempts to use the 18th Century Alien Enemies Act to remove accused Venezuelan gang members without due process. The administration had invoked the law in March, then quickly moved to deport 130 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador where they were placed in the notorious Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT, Terrorism Confinement Center), where many – if not all – were subject to severe abuses. Many of those sent to El Salvador were accused of association with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua based simply on having tattoos. While this is not the first court decision against the use of the Alien Enemies Act, it is notable because the 5th Circuit is perhaps the most conservative Circuit Court in the country, particularly when it comes to immigration issues.
- On Friday, a federal judge took away one of the administration’s most insidious tools to strip immigrants of due process by temporarily blocking the expedited removal of those who entered the country under parole. Under immigration law, expedited removal allows the government to deport those entered without inspection within the previous 2 years, however the law also specifically excludes those who have been paroled into the country from being subject to expedited removal. Under the Trump Administration, ICE has been ignoring this section of the law and using expedited removal against thousands of people who were paroled into the country under the Biden Administration. We would expect the administration to appeal this decision.
- Following an emergency hearing over the weekend, a federal judge blocked the removal of hundreds of Guatemalan Children on Sunday. These children were classified as unaccompanied minors and were in the care and custody of Health and Human Services awaiting both their immigration hearings and potential reunion with extended family members already here in the U.S. Lawyers were only made aware of this attempt to deport the children without due process and in violation of applicable laws after reporting in CNN made the move public.
- With the federal fiscal year ending on September 30, Congress comes back from recess to face a battle over spending for fiscal year 2026. Democrats are looking to negotiate with Republicans on a bipartisan bill, but Republican leadership appears to have refused so far and is instead looking to craft a spending measure along with the White House instead. If Congress fails to agree on a spending measure, we could see another government shutdown on October 1.