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.
Legal
Judge Blocks Administration’s Expedited Removal Expansion to Parolees
On August 1, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb blocked the Trump administration from using expanded expedited removal procedures against migrants who entered the country legally through humanitarian parole programs ruling that the practice violates federal law. The decision in CHIRLA v. Noem protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were granted parole through programs including CBP One, the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) program, Uniting for Ukraine, and Operation Allies Welcome from fast-track deportations that bypass standard immigration court proceedings. Judge Cobb found the administration’s efforts illegal, arguing that the case presented “a question of fair play” for parolees who “played by the rules” and entered with government permission but were nonetheless targeted for summary removal.
The ruling could also affect the Trump administration’s strategy of convincing immigration judges to dismiss court cases so Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can arrest migrants after their hearings and place them in expedited removal proceedings. Plaintiffs argued that the administration was “essentially disappearing” individuals by denying statutory rights to due process, with attorney Hillary Li from Justice Action Center stating the ruling serves as a reminder that “the rule of law should continue to be respected.” The limits of expanded expedited removal are also being tested in Arizona, where attorneys for Mirta Amarilis Co Tupul, a 38-year-old woman who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 30 years, successfully obtained a temporary halt to her deportation after ICE attempted to place her in expedited removal despite extensive documentation of her longtime residence. The administration is likely to appeal.
Appeals Court Narrows Scope of Trump’s Asylum Ban
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit partially blocked President Trump’s proclamation suspending asylum at the southern border on August 1. The court found that while the administration can pause access to the asylum system, it cannot ignore laws requiring protection for migrants who would face torture or persecution if deported. The three-judge panel lifted an administrative pause on District Judge Randolph Moss’s July ruling and narrowed the scope of relief to asylum-seekers already in the U.S. The ruling allows the administration to continue using the proclamation to deny discretionary asylum claims while requiring officials to process mandatory protections under withholding of removal and the U.N. Convention Against Torture, which both have higher legal thresholds.
Following the court’s order, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were directed to stop deportations under Trump’s asylum ban and resume processing migrants through standard immigration law, including expedited removal procedures. The ruling may reopen pathways to humanitarian protection that had been closed since January, but the administration is likely seek Supreme Court intervention to reinstate the full asylum ban. The D.C. Circuit has scheduled expedited proceedings on the merits of the case through September 26.
Federal Court Blocks TPS Revocations for Nicaragua, Honduras, and Nepal
On July 31, U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson blocked the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 60,000 immigrants from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Nepal, ruling that the administration’s decisions violated federal law. Judge Thompson issued a temporary restraining order postponing the terminations until at least November 18. The protections for Nepalese nationals were scheduled to expire on August 5, while TPS for Hondurans and Nicaraguans was set to end on September 8. The latest ruling follows a federal court decision in July that similarly blocked the administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti, as judges have scrutinized the administration’s rationale for ending protections that affect more than one million immigrants nationwide.
Judge Thompson argued that Secretary of Homeland Security Kirsti Noem’s termination decisions lacked the objective country-condition analysis required by law and were instead driven by “racial and discriminatory animus”. The judge criticized the administration’s rhetoric, stating that migrants were being told to “atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood” and referenced comments by Noem describing immigrants as “some of the most dangerous people in the world”. The Department of Homeland Security denounced the ruling and indicated it would appeal. Since taking office, the Trump administration has attempted to terminate TPS for seven countries total. Venezuela’s TPS termination was initially blocked but the Supreme Court allowed it to become effective in May, and Afghanistan and Cameroon’s TPS terminations were allowed to proceed after a brief court block was lifted in July.
Federal
Administration Pressuring Families to Accept Deportation
On August 5, a New York Times report revealed that the Trump administration is removing children from their parents to pressure families to accept deportation. The report documented at least nine cases where parents were given a choice: accept removal with their children or remain in immigration detention while their children are placed in shelters for unaccompanied minors or foster homes. The practice has affected families from countries like Russia where deportation requires commercial rather than Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flights. The separations differ from the Trump administration’s first-term “zero tolerance” policy at the southern border and have instead been described in government documents as “internal separation.” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin denied any new policy exists, stating that parents have the option to leave with their children.
Department of Justice Publishes Updated List of Sanctuary Jurisdictions
On August 5, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a list of sanctuary jurisdictions identifying 13 states, 4 counties, and 18 cities. The list represents a significant reduction from the original Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list published in May that included 14 states, 415 counties, and 227 cities. The initial list was removed within days due to widespread errors and criticism, including at least one jurisdiction that had declared itself a “non-sanctuary city.” The revised list added Nevada and the District of Columbia while removing Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey from state designations. Unlike the previous version, the new list includes some indication of criteria used to make the determinations, though the administration provided no explanation for the dramatic reduction in scope or the specific changes to jurisdictions included.
Department of Justice Denies Existence of Immigration Arrest Quota
The Department of Justice (DOJ) denied the existence of a daily quota for immigration arrests in a federal court filing on August 1, contradicting an earlier public statement by White House adviser Stephen Miller. DOJ attorneys told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed “neither ICE leadership nor its field offices have been directed to meet any numerical quota or target for arrests” or other enforcement activities. When directly asked by a judge whether the administration has a policy to deport 3,000 persons per day, DOJ attorney Yaakov Roth responded, “Not to my knowledge, your honor.”
The attorneys’ declarations contradict Miller’s appearance on Fox News in May, when he stated the administration was “looking to set a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests for ICE every day.” The discrepancy emerged in litigation challenging ICE’s immigration sweeps in Southern California, where an appeals court has barred agents from detaining individuals based on race or language. ICE arrests dropped nearly 20% in July to an average of 990 daily arrests, while removals increased slightly. Immigration advocates have cited the arrest quota reports as evidence the administration’s tactics are driven by numerical targets rather than public safety priorities.
Trump Hints at New Policy to Address Agricultural Labor Concerns
President Trump claimed his administration is developing a policy to address agricultural labor shortages, suggesting in an August 5 interview that he wants to “work with” farmers to find solutions for their undocumented workforce. Trump said the White House is considering a “touchback program” that would require some farm workers to leave the U.S. and reenter through legal pathways. The president also suggested that immigrant farm workers are “naturally” suited for agricultural labor, claiming that Americans “who live in the inner city” won’t do the work and that immigrant workers “do it naturally.”
The administration has struggled for months to reconcile its deportation tactics with agricultural industry needs, resulting in a series of policy reversals that have created uncertainty across the sector. In June, the administration initially curtailed immigration raids on farms following industry pressure, only to reverse course and resume enforcement operations, then scale back again after continued pushback from agricultural groups. Border czar Tom Homan had also hinted in mid-July that a farm worker policy announcement was forthcoming.
Afghan Adjustment Act Returns as U.S. Allies Face Deportation
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1) reintroduced the Afghan Adjustment Act in Congress on August 5 as Afghan allies face mounting threats of deportation under the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement. The legislation comes at a critical time as some Afghan evacuees who assisted U.S. forces as interpreters, translators, and support staff during the 20-year war have few options to remain legally in the U.S. following the administration’s systematic elimination of immigration relief pathways. The Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan in July despite ongoing Taliban rule and humanitarian crises, while many Afghan allies currently live under Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) or humanitarian parole statuses that provide only temporary protection with no pathway to permanent residency.
Immigration attorneys report that recent ICE enforcement actions have targeted Afghan evacuees despite their service to U.S. military operations, with Connecticut lawmakers recently demanding the release of an Afghan interpreter arrested in East Hartford. The newly re-introduced bill faces an uncertain future in Congress where previous versions have stalled despite bipartisan support. Advocates argue that deporting these individuals would break America’s promise to those who risked their lives serving alongside U.S. troops, and the issue has received significant attention from veterans’ organizations.
State and Local
Detention of Purdue Student Sparks Interfaith Coalition Response in Indiana
Yeonsoo Go, a 20-year-old South Korean student at Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy, was released from federal immigration detention on August 4 after five days in custody following her arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside an immigration courthouse in New York City. Go was detained after attending what her attorneys described as a routine visa hearing to convert her R-2 religious worker’s dependent visa to a student visa, with the judge granting her a hearing date for late August. ICE agents arrested her as she and her mother exited the courtroom, despite her attorneys’ claims that her current visa remains valid until December 2025.
Go’s detention sparked an interfaith coalition response led by the Episcopal Diocese of New York, where her mother, Rev. Kyrie Kim, serves as a priest and is the first woman ordained in the Seoul Diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea. Faith leaders, community members, and immigration advocates held protests at Manhattan’s Federal Plaza on August 2, demanding her release while unaware she had been transferred to the Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. Go was released two days later on her own recognizance and reunited with her family at the federal courthouse, with her case still pending and a hearing scheduled for late August. Indiana State Representative Chris Campbell condemned the arrest, describing the detention of someone “following the law” as “absolutely horrifying.”
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
It’s challenging to keep up with the 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.
H.R. 4895
Afghan Adjustment Act
The bill would provide a secure path to permanent legal residency for vetted Afghan nationals who stood alongside American forces during the war in Afghanistan. This is the companion bill to S.2679.
Sponsored by Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) (11 cosponsors — 5 Republicans, 6 Democrats)
08/05/2025 Introduced in the House by Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks
08/05/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 4843
To provide that no Federal funds made available to the Department of Homeland Security may be used to carry out any civil immigration enforcement activity under the immigration laws unless each officer conducting such an action is not wearing a mask or facial covering that hides the identity of the officer, and clearly identifies themselves verbally and visibly
Sponsored by Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) (2 cosponsors — 0 Republicans, 2 Democrats)
08/01/2025 Introduced in the House by Representative Jasmine Crockett
08/01/2025 Referred to the House Committees on Homeland Security and on the Judiciary
S. 2655
Community-Based Refugee Reception Act
The bill would permanently authorize community refugee sponsorship and resettlement services as an additional resettlement model that complements existing pathways.
Sponsored by Senator Christopher Murphy (D-Connecticut) (1 cosponsor — 0 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
08/01/2025 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Christopher Murphy
08/01/2025 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
S. 2650
A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the reallocation of unused waivers of the foreign residency requirement for certain J-visa holders
Sponsored by Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) (1 cosponsor — 0 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
08/01/2025 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Joni Ernst
08/01/2025 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will be in recess until Tuesday, September 2.
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.
Congressional Research Service (CRS); Overview of Language-Access Requirements for Federally Funded Programs and Federal Agencies; Publicly Released August 1, 2025
This report examines the legal framework governing language access obligations for federally funded programs and federal agencies, analyzing how recent executive orders have significantly altered existing requirements. The report covers Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s application to disparate-impact discrimination in federally funded programs, Executive Order 14224’s March 2025 rescission of previous language access mandates, and the shift from coordinated federal language access policies to agency discretion in providing multilingual services.
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:
Undocumented Immigrants Are Integral To Our Nation
This explainer provides an overview specifically of the tax, spending, and labor contributions of the undocumented population and then briefly outlines the potential economic implications of losing these integral contributions.
Designating English as the Official Language: Explainer
This explainer provides an overview of the Trump administration’s executive order to proclaim English as the official language of the U.S. and the order’s impact on services for those with limited English proficiency (LEP).
Explainer: Immigration Removal Proceedings and Expanded Mandatory Detention in the U.S.
Our resource provides a brief overview of immigration removal proceedings, including how the process typically works for both detained and non-detained individuals. It then examines how a July 8 ICE memo has altered this process by reinterpreting existing laws to eliminate bond hearings for undocumented immigrants who crossed between ports of entry, requiring their detention for the duration of removal proceedings and effectively expanding mandatory detention.
*As of publication (8/7/25 at 1:30PM 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.