Immigration news

On Tuesday, May 27, the international exchange and education community was dealt yet another blow when the Trump administration temporarily paused scheduling new F, M, and J visa appointments.  Politico reported that a cable sent to all embassies and consular posts by Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for consular sections […]

In a legislative session marked by political division and increasingly polarized rhetoric, the Texas Dream Act endured. The win affirms that all Texas high school graduates—regardless of immigration status—will continue to have access to higher education. Despite nine separate bills filed to repeal this landmark 2001 law—including HB […]

Written by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Senior Fellow; and Adriel Orozco, Senior Policy Counsel As the Trump administration continued to ramp up immigration enforcement measures across the United States last week, new “red flags” emerged; policy measures that dramatically impact the basic rights of immigrants in this country or that […]

In a tense exchange during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if she could define “habeas corpus.” “Habeas corpus” is the constitutional right that ensures that people have a chance to challenge their imprisonment in front of a judge. […]

On May 12, 2025, a federal district court allowed an unprecedented information-sharing agreement between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to take effect. This marks the first time the IRS has formally agreed to provide taxpayer information to ICE under a memorandum […]

Here are the messages that the 350,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. who were granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023 have heard from the federal government since January: January 17: You can keep your TPS protections until fall 2026. January 28: We’re reviewing whether you can keep your TPS […]

By Laila Khan, Research Associate at the American Immigration Council & Lauren Harper, the Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy and the Freedom of the Press Foundation On March 15, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) against members of Venezuelan gang Tren de […]

By: Jojo Tompkins, State and Local Policy Fellow State legislatures are advancing policies that directly impact immigrant communities — creating new rules, expanding enforcement, and offering critical protections. At the start of the 2025 legislative session, the American Immigration Council shared how states could pass policies to protect […]

The Trump administration’s highly visible immigration enforcement efforts are impacting immigrants across the country – be it through the arrest and detention of immigrants or through the chilling effects these operations have on immigrant communities. While the federal government’s rhetoric and actions are rightfully at the forefront of […]

“And I think it is healing behavior, to look at something so broken and see the possibility and wholeness in it.”  — adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy The Texas Dream Act was signed into law in 2001, years before I ever walked across the stage at my high […]

On April 30, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the updated 2024 inventory of unclassified and non-sensitive AI use cases within the department. The public data revealed something powerful: artificial intelligence isn’t just a future possibility in immigration enforcement—it’s already here. In fact, the inventory listed 105 […]

One month after President Trump declared English as the only official language of the United States, communities across the country celebrated Language Access Month throughout April. The month emphasizes the importance of ensuring that all people—regardless of the language they speak—can access the information, services, and rights they […]

On April 30, the House Judiciary Committee advanced a budget reconciliation bill which, if signed into law, would represent the single biggest increase in funding to immigration enforcement in the history of the United States. The bill would provide nearly $80 billion for internal immigration enforcement, including $45 […]

By Raul Pinto and Jennifer Coberly On March 25, news reports surfaced that the Trump administration imposed a suspension in the processing of certain green card applications. The news reports stated that a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official confirmed the suspension. The agency said the suspension […]

Over the weekend, I got a WhatsApp message from Mr. A. Mr. A and I have been in touch since he was trying to get out of Afghanistan after American troops withdrew in 2021. After finally escaping with his young family and making it to Mexico, he eventually […]

Less than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” the “release from custody in El Salvador” of wrongfully-deported Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration has doubled down on defiance, with administration lawyers telling a federal court that Mr. Abrego […]

For almost 15 years, immigrants in the United States were able to seek medical care, attend school, and access other critical services without much worry of encountering immigration enforcement in these locations. This all changed on the first day of the new Trump administration, when the Department of […]

On March 25, the Department of Homeland Security announced in the Federal Register that it was revoking humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of immigrants living in the U.S. legally under the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parole program (CHNV). In early April, parolees started receiving individual letters […]

By: Jojo Tompkins, State and Local Fellow, American Immigration Council For generations, the United States has upheld education as the foundation for better opportunities. But the fraught politics of immigration are creating new barriers for immigrant children and families in accessing both K-12 schooling and higher education. These […]

In the weeks before March 15, the Trump administration’s preparations for a major operation kicked into high gear. Venezuelan men attending routine check-ins with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ended up leaving in handcuffs. ICE agents fanned out across communities and began questioning and detaining men with tattoos. […]