DEVELOPMENTS IN IMMIGRATION POLICY THIS WEEK
Here, we summarize some of the most important recent developments in immigration policy on the federal, legal, state, and local levels.
Federal
Trump Administration Bans Travel from Twelve Countries and Restricts Entry from Other Seven Nations
President Trump signed a proclamation on June 4 reinstating and significantly expanding travel restrictions affecting nationals from nineteen countries, with the ban set to take effect on June 9 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. The proclamation fully restricts entry for nationals from twelve countries including Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while imposing partial restrictions on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The administration justified the action by citing national security concerns, inadequate screening and vetting capabilities in affected countries, high visa overstay rates, and lack of cooperation in sharing identity and threat information.
Notably, the travel ban includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain diplomatic and athletic visa categories, immediate family immigrant visas with clear evidence of identity and family relationships, adoptions, and Afghan Special Immigrant Visas.
The proclamation applies only to foreign nationals who are outside the U.S. and do not possess valid visas as of the effective date, while case-by-case exceptions may be granted for individuals whose travel serves “U.S. national interests”. Early reporting suggests State Department issued detailed guidance to embassies and consulates worldwide on June 6, instructing posts to continue scheduling visa appointments for applicants from affected countries but to refuse visas unless they meet criteria for an exception, with any visas granted before June 9 but not yet received by applicants to be canceled unless an exception applies. Faith-based organizations and advocacy groups immediately decried the restrictions as discriminatory and contrary to American values of welcome and inclusion, while immigration attorneys warn the policy will also create hiring challenges, delay visa processing, and increase compliance burdens for U.S. businesses.
Termination of Humanitarian Parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans Causes Confusion for Employers Nationwide
The Supreme Court’s decision to allow termination of the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) humanitarian parole program has generated widespread uncertainty, with over 530,000 individuals now facing potential deportation. The program’s abrupt termination threatens to create a significant economic disruption, affecting an estimated 240,000 CHNV parolees currently working legally across the U.S. economy.
Labor organizations warn that the sudden loss of this workforce would constitute “a massive layoff forced onto the private sector by the federal government,” with impacts spanning critical industries including 40,000 workers in manufacturing, 30,000 each in leisure and hospitality and construction sectors, 30,000 in health services, 20,000 in business services, and 10,000 in education.
The situation remains chaotic as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has yet to provide clear guidance on implementation procedures or the status of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD), leaving employers unsure of their compliance obligations and workers uncertain whether they can legally continue employment despite having originally entered the U.S. legally with required federal approval and financial sponsorship.
Administration Moves to Block Asylum Seekers’ Ability to Work While Restricting Social Security Access for Immigrants
The Trump administration is reportedly considering a regulation that would prevent most asylum-seekers from obtaining work permits, thereby ending the decades-old U.S. policy of allowing migrants with pending asylum claims to work legally while their cases are decided. The proposed changes would suspend issuance of new work permits to asylum-seekers until U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) decides all asylum claims within an average of 180 days, a timeframe that could prove exceedingly difficult to meet as over 77 percent of asylum applications before USCIS had been pending in excess of 180 days last year, with nearly forty percent remaining unresolved after two years. Even if the 180-day processing average is achieved, the proposal would ostensibly require asylum-seekers to wait one year after filing their application instead of the current six months to be eligible for a work permit. José Antonio Colina of the Venezuelan Political Persecuted Exiles group told reporters plainly, “Who can live in this city or anywhere in the U.S. without a work permit?”
These work authorization restrictions are being considered alongside after another administrative change that further limits immigrants’ ability to secure employment legally has already been implemented. In March, the administration has quietly halted the Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) program, which automatically provided Social Security numbers (SSNs) to millions of legal immigrants annually, now forcing them to visit already overburdened Social Security field offices to obtain the documentation necessary for employment. The change could create significant delays for legal immigrants who cannot work without SSNs despite having valid employment authorization. These policy changes align with false claims promoted by Elon Musk and his former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) associate Antonio Gracias, who have repeatedly mischaracterized the EBE program as evidence of fraud despite the fact that it was established in 2017 during Trump’s first presidency to streamline legitimate processes for legal immigrants. Immigration advocates underscore that these combined policies will drive asylum-seekers into the underground economy while creating widespread confusion and economic disruption for families who followed legal pathways to enter the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security Removes List of “Sanctuary Jurisdictions” After Pushback from Law Enforcement Officials
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quietly removed a list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” from its website on June 1. The list, which included jurisdictions across thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia, was created in response to President Trump’s April 28 executive order directing DHS to identify localities “obstructing federal immigration law enforcement” and notify each of non-compliance. DHS had warned that listed jurisdictions would receive formal notifications of their non-compliance with federal statutes and face potential cuts to federal funding, while demanding they “immediately review and revise their policies to align with Federal immigration laws.”
The list’s removal followed intense criticism from the National Sheriffs’ Association, which represents more than 3,000 elected sheriffs nationwide and generally supports federal immigration enforcement efforts. Association President Sheriff Kieran Donahue condemned the list as arbitrary and lacking transparency, stating that it was “created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object to the designation” and violated “the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement.”
Local officials also questioned their inclusion, with mayors from cities like San Diego and Boise expressing surprise at their designation despite never adopting sanctuary policies, while Shawano County, Wisconsin, speculated their inclusion resulted from confusion with their “Second Amendment sanctuary” designation. While the administration seeks to compel cooperation through threatening grant funding, it is simultaneously encouraging localities to enter into voluntary 287(g) agreements that formally delegate immigration enforcement powers to local law enforcement. This effort received a significant boost from Texas, where the state Legislature sent Governor Greg Abbott a bill requiring sheriffs in approximately 234 of the state’s 254 counties to request and enter 287(g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Administration Proposes Creation of “Office of Remigration”
The Trump administration has proposed the establishment of a new “Office of Remigration” within the State Department, which would facilitate the voluntary relocation of immigrants from the U.S. to their countries of origin. According to a detailed plan laid out by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the initiative is part of a broader restructuring effort to align the State Department’s functions more closely with the administration’s priorities. The proposed office would initially focus on supporting European countries experiencing demographic declines, offering incentives for emigrants who choose to return. Administration officials claim this move will alleviate domestic economic pressures while fostering international relations through collaborative “remigration” strategies.
Observers immediately raised concerns that the proposed Office of Remigration mirrors policies seen in far-right European movements, which also prioritize voluntary returns, but are often accompanied by rhetoric that can marginalize migrants’ rights. Some analysts worry this initiative may be used as a tool to pressure or incentivize involuntary removals and that its implementation could resemble aggressive nationalist efforts to control migration. Meanwhile, the White House has formally requested that Congress cut more than $800 million from the State Department’s Migration and Refugee Assistance budget, which funds the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The proposed cuts underscore a stark shift in priorities: while the administration seeks to establish a new office dedicated to facilitating migrant departures, it simultaneously moves to defund longstanding programs that support refugee protection and resettlement.
Eight Immigrants Remain Stranded at U.S. Military Base in Djibouti After Court Blocks Deportation to South Sudan
Eight immigrants convicted of serious crimes remain detained at a U.S. military base in Djibouti after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to deport them to South Sudan, creating an unprecedented situation where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are guarding detainees in harsh conditions while the administration appeals the court order. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of Massachusetts found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) violated his preliminary injunction by giving the men less than twenty-four hours’ notice before attempting to deport them to South Sudan, a country where most had no previous connection, without providing them a meaningful opportunity to voice reasonable fears of torture as required by federal law. The detainees are now being held in a converted shipping container at Camp Lemonnier under constant surveillance by eleven ICE officers working twelve-hour shifts in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and facing threats of rocket attacks from Yemen. The administration has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Murphy’s order while simultaneously criticizing the judge for creating the situation, despite having the option to return the detainees to immigration facilities in the U.S. rather than keeping them at the military base where both guards and detainees have fallen ill from respiratory infections and exposure to toxic smoke from nearby burn pits.
Legal
Presidential Proclamation Blocking Harvard International Students Temporarily Halted by Federal Judge
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs temporarily blocked President Trump’s proclamation that would have prohibited foreign nationals from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard University on June 5, the latest development in an escalating legal battle between the administration and the institution. Judge Burroughs issued the temporary restraining order (TRO) just hours after Harvard filed an amended lawsuit challenging the June 4 proclamation, which invoked sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to suspend entry of new international students and exchange visitors to Harvard while directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking visas for current Harvard international students already in the country. The judge determined that Harvard would sustain “immediate and irreparable injury” if the proclamation were implemented and extended her previous TRO preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from revoking Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification until June 20.
The June 4 proclamation was the administration’s third attempt within a month to restrict Harvard’s international enrollment after previous efforts by the DHS were blocked by the Judge Burroughs. Harvard condemned the proclamation as “yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights” and argued that the proclamation was designed to circumvent the court’s earlier injunction by preventing students from entering the country rather than revoking the university’s certification to host them. The measure would have affected Harvard’s more than 7,000 international students and scholars from over 140 countries, who comprise approximately 27 percent of the student body, including about 300 first-year students scheduled to begin classes this fall. Harvard’s legal team argued that the president’s actions “are not undertaken to protect the ‘interests of the United States,’ but instead to pursue a government vendetta against Harvard,” while administration officials expressed confidence that higher courts would ultimately support their position.
Federal Judge Strikes Down Texas In-State Tuition Policy at Request of DOJ, Paxton
A federal judge on June 4 invalidated a Texas law that provides access to in-state tuition and state financial aid for undocumented students who are Texas residents. The rapid end to the state’s 24-year-old law, known as the “Texas Dream Act,” came after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit earlier in the day challenging the policy. Soon after, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton indicated he would not oppose the lawsuit and filed a joint motion with the DOJ asking the federal court to permanently block the law. Within six hours, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor issued an order permanently blocking Texas’ in-state tuition policy for undocumented students.
The decision came two days after the Texas legislature ended its 2025 session without moving forward on proposed legislation to repeal in-state tuition for the state’s undocumented students. The decision immediately impacts 57,000 Dreamers and other undocumented students who graduated from a Texas high school and are pursuing higher education in the state. It will also impact the 197,000 students under the age of eighteen who are on track to graduate from a Texas high school. At Texas state schools, out-of-state tuition is roughly three to four times the rate of in-state tuition.
In 2001, Texas became the first state in the country to allow undocumented students who graduated from a Texas high school and met other certain requirements to access in-state tuition. Undocumented students under the Texas Dream Act paid $81.6 million in tuition and fees in 2023. At the beginning of 2025, Texas was one of 25 states that provided access to in-state tuition for its undocumented students, containing the second-highest number of undocumented students enrolled in higher education (73,000). Since April 2025, Florida repealed its in-state tuition law for undocumented students
Deportation of Colorado Attack Suspect’s Family Temporarily Halted
A federal judge in Colorado has temporarily halted the deportation of Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s wife and five children, who were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 3. Soliman faces federal hate crime and attempted murder charges after allegedly throwing two Molotov cocktails in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1. After the administration indicated that the family was being considered for expedited removal as a result of their relation to Soliman, attorneys representing Soliman’s wife and their children filed a lawsuit seeking their release from custody and an order to block their deportation. U.S. District Judge Gordon Gallagher granted the request, writing that swift removal without process could cause “irreparable harm” and undermine the court’s jurisdiction over the case.
The family of Egyptian nationals has a pending asylum case, having legally entered the United States in 2022 on tourist visas. Attorneys for the family argued that detaining and threatening to deport Soliman’s wife and children constitutes unprecedented and unlawful collective punishment, noting that it is rare for relatives of an accused person to face deportation. Initial investigations show that Soliman’s family was unaware of his plans.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
It is hard to keep up with the constant deluge of proposed legislation in the 119th Congress. So, every week, we round up federal legislative proposals that have recently been introduced and that are relevant to immigration policy.*
S. 1937
Visa Overstay Penalties Act
The bill would classify visa overstays as a criminal offense. It would also impose up to six months of jail time for first-time offenders and up to two years for repeat offenders.
Sponsored by Senator Jim Banks (R-Indiana) (0 cosponsors)
06/03/2025 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Kim Banks
06/03/2025 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
S. 1952
Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act
The bill would make it illegal to dox federal law enforcement officials.
Sponsored by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) (0 cosponsors)
06/04/2025 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Marsha Blackburn
06/04/2025 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 3618
American Land and Property Protection Act
The bill would prohibit nationals from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, as well as people associated with Foreign Terrorist Organizations, from purchasing land in the United States.
Sponsored by Representative Mark Alford (R-Missouri) (0 cosponsors)
05/29/2025 Introduced in the House by Representative Mark Alford
05/29/2025 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
H.R. 3646
Guam Temporary Workforce Act
The bill would allow the Governor of Guam to determine temporary need of nonimmigrant workers on Guam.
Sponsored by Representative James Moylan (R-Guam) (0 cosponsors)
05/29/2025 Introduced in the House by Representative James Moylan
05/29/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 3715
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to clarify that wages paid to unauthorized aliens may not be deducted from gross income
Sponsored by Representative Brandon Gill (R-Texas) (13 cosponsors — 13 Republicans, 0 Democrats)
06/04/2025 Introduced in the House by Representative Brandon Gill
06/04/2025 Referred to the House Committees on Ways and Means and on the Judiciary
H.R. 3724
To prohibit certain actions related to aliens who habitually resided in the Palestinian-administered territories
Sponsored by Representative Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) (2 cosponsors — 2 Republicans, 0 Democrats)
06/04/2025 Introduced in the House by Representative Nancy Mace
06/04/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 3725
Preventing the Abuse of Immigration Parole Act
The bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform the process for granting parole.
Sponsored by Representative Addison McDowell (R-North Carolina) (15 cosponsors — 15 Republicans, 0 Democrats)
06/04/2025 Introduced in the House by Representative Addison McDowell
06/04/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R.3763
Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act
The bill would eliminate employment-based visa caps on abused, abandoned, and neglected immigrant children, known as Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJ) and make more visas available for religious workers, members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and others who are waiting in the EB-4 visa category backlog.
Sponsored by Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34) (37 cosponsors)
06/05/2025 Introduced in the House by Representative Jimmy Gomez
06/05/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate will be in session Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 13, while the House of Representatives will meet Monday, June 9, through Thursday, June 12.
GOVERNMENT REPORTS
Reports by bodies such as the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Research Service, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General provide invaluable information on immigration policy and practice. Here, we give brief summaries of new immigration-related reports with links to the resources themselves in case you want to learn more.
Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (DHS OIG); Results of an Unannounced Inspection of ICE’s Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, New York; Publicly Released June 3, 2025
The inspection found that the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility staff generally complied with the 2011 Performance-Based National Detention Standards, but noted that facility and ICE staff did not fully comply with standards related to the use of force, staff-detainee communication, detainee grievances, recreation in the Special Management Unit (SMU), classification, admission and release, and medical unit staffing.
Congressional Research Service(CRS); “Sanctuary” Jurisdictions: Legal Overview; Publicly Released June 6, 2025
This report examines the legal landscape surrounding “sanctuary” jurisdictions following President Trump’s January 2025 executive orders that seek to limit federal funding and pursue legal action against states and localities that restrict cooperation with immigration enforcement. The report details ongoing litigation including federal lawsuits against Illinois and New York challenging their sanctuary policies, as well as counter-suits by San Francisco and Massachusetts cities that have successfully obtained preliminary injunctions blocking the administration’s funding restrictions on constitutional grounds.
UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS
Here, we round up congressional hearings and markups happening in the field or in Washington.
Meeting: H.R. 884 – To prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia and to repeal the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022.; H.R. 2056 – District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act of 2025; H.R. 2096 – Protecting Our Nation’s Capital Emergency Act; S. 331 – Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act
Date: Monday, June 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM ET (House Committee on Rules)
Location: H-313 Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Markup: Fiscal Year 2026 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill
Date: Monday, June 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM ET (House Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security)
Location: H-140 Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Oversight Hearings to Examine the Federal Government’s Border Management and Personnel Readiness Efforts for the Decade of Sports
Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET (Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Governmental Operations and Border Management)
Location: 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Witnesses: LTG. Reynold H. Hoover, USA (Ret.) (Chief Executive Officer, LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games), Shawn Kinder (Corporate Development and Strategy Director, Ferrovial Airports International), Gina Ligon, PhD (Director, National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, University of Nebraska, Omaha)
A Hearing with Sanctuary State Governors
Date: Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET (House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
Location: HVC-210 Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Witnesses: JB Pritzker (Governor of Illinois), Tim Walz (Governor of Minnesota), Kathy Hochul (Governor of New York)
SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES
The Forum is constantly publishing new policy-focused resources that engage with some of the most topical issues around immigration today. Here are a few that are particularly relevant this week:
Halting of Texas’ In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students: Explainer
Our new explainer details the impact of the rescission of Texas’ in-state tuition policy for undocumented students. Texas has the second-highest number of undocumented students in higher education in the country (57,000) and this court decision – which was made despite the Texas legislature refusing to repeal the policy – will have a significant impact on the state’s future workforce.
President Trump’s Executive Order Banning and Restricting Travel to the United States: Fact Sheet
This fact sheet examines the June 4 Executive Order which bars entry to the U.S. of all nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen due to alleged national security and public safety concerns, with some critical exceptions, and restricts the entry of nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela with B-1, B-2, F, M, and J visas.
One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Immigration Provisions
Our explainer outlines the funding provided by the House reconciliation bill, H.R.1, for immigration purposes and the expansive policy provisions also included in the bill.
*As of publication (6/6/25 at 2:30 PM EST)
This Bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive. Please contact Nicci Mattey, Senior Policy & Advocacy Associate at the National Immigration Forum, with questions, comments, and suggestions for additional items to be included. Nicci can be reached at nmattey@immigrationforum.org. Thank you.