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.
State and Local
DHS Expands Minneapolis Enforcement as Mayor Demands ICE Withdrawal Following Fatal Shooting
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deployed approximately 2,000 officers and agents to Minneapolis in what DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called “the largest immigration operation ever,” combining immigration enforcement with a Justice Department fraud investigation targeting Minnesota programs. The Trump administration also announced on January 8 that it is creating a new division within the Department of Justice for national fraud enforcement to lead investigations into what it characterizes as “Minnesota’s fraud epidemic”. On January 7, an ICE Special Response Team officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and legal observer, on January 8 in south Minneapolis after she had dropped her child at school, triggering widespread protests.
The fatal shooting has intensified tensions between federal and state authorities, with Governor Tim Walz authorizing the Minnesota National Guard to stand ready and declaring a “Day of Unity” in Good’s honor. Secretary Noem characterized Good’s actions as “an act of domestic terrorism,” while President Trump claimed she “ran over” an officer, though videos posted to social media do not corroborate those accounts. Federal agents also deployed pepper spray at Roosevelt High School grounds during an immigration enforcement operation and used chemical irritants against protesters outside the Whipple Federal Building, where hundreds gathered to demand ICE withdrawal from Minnesota.
Federal
Venezuelans in the U.S. Face Uncertainty Following Maduro’s Arrest
Venezuelan immigrants in the United States face uncertainty after the arrest of former President Nicolás Maduro on drug trafficking charges, as the Trump administration maintains that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans ended last year. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem suggested Venezuelans could apply for refugee status but the agency later clarified that applicants generally must be outside the United States to qualify, directing those without lawful status to departure and reentry options instead of offering new protections. Asylum applications from Venezuelans also remain stalled under current policy suspending processing for a total of 39 countries, after 20 additional countries were added in December.
At the same time, the Justice Department is using Maduro’s arrest to defend the administration’s reliance on the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport certain Venezuelan nationals, including people accused of ties to the Tren de Aragua gang. On December 22, 2025, a federal judge ordered the administration to offer some form of relief to men previously deported under the AEA, and further litigation will determine whether the government can continue using the law as a basis for Venezuelan deportations. In court filings, government lawyers told the judge that Maduro’s arrest created “substantial changes on the ground in Venezuela” requiring additional time to evaluate potential remedies for men previously deported under the AEA.
DHS Moves to Finalize Weighted H‑1B Cap Selection Rule
On December 22, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) submitted a final rule replacing the random H-1B visa lottery with a weighted selection system to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under the final rule, which takes effect on February 27 and will apply to the fiscal year 2027 registration season beginning in March 2026, applicants at the highest wage level will receive four entries in the lottery pool while those at the lowest level receive one entry. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) stated the change aims to “better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers” by addressing what the agency described as employer abuse of the previous system to hire foreign workers at lower wages.
The weighted system assigns entries based on the Department of Labor’s Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which provides four wage levels corresponding to experience and job complexity within each occupation and geographic region. The rule does not affect existing cap exemptions for higher education institutions, nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations, which can continue filing H-1B petitions outside the lottery system year-round.
ICE More Than Doubles Workforce in 2025, Plans $100 Million Recruitment Push
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) more than doubled its workforce in 2025, growing from 10,000 officers and agents when President Trump took office to over 22,000 by the end of the year. The agency achieved the increase in just four months after Congress allocated $8 billion for ICE through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, sorting through more than 220,000 applications and offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000 and expanded student loan repayments. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shortened training from six months to approximately six weeks to accelerate deployment, while the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center curtailed operations for non-ICE personnel to prioritize the agency’s recruits.
ICE is also planning a $100 million “wartime recruitment” media campaign in 2026 to continue expanding its deportation force, according to internal documents. The strategy uses geofencing technology to deliver recruitment ads to mobile devices of people near military bases, gun shows, NASCAR races, UFC fights, and college campuses, while targeting audiences interested in firearms, tactical gear, patriotic podcasts, and fitness content. Current recruitment materials frame immigration as an existential threat, with ICE’s hiring website stating “America has been invaded by criminals and predators” and calling for Americans to join what it describes as a “sacred duty ” to defend the nation.
Legal
Supreme Court Decision Forces Trump to Back Away from National Guard Deployments in Three Cities
The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s request to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago on December 23, 2025, ruling that the government failed to identify proper legal authority to use military forces to execute laws in Illinois. In a three-page unsigned order, the justices found that the statutory term “regular forces” likely refers to the U.S. military rather than civilian law enforcement, meaning the president must demonstrate inability to execute laws with regular military forces before federalizing the National Guard. The decision upheld lower court rulings that found insufficient evidence that protest activity in Illinois significantly impeded federal officers’ ability to execute immigration laws, or that demonstrations constituted a danger of rebellion against government authority.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, the administration withdrew its plans to deploy National Guard troops not only in Chicago but also in Los Angeles and Portland, where a federal judge had separately issued a permanent injunction blocking such deployments. The administration had relied on a federal law allowing the president to federalize the National Guard when unable to execute U.S. laws with regular forces or when facing invasion, rebellion, or danger of rebellion, deploying 300 Guard members to Chicago in early October to assist with immigration enforcement operations.
Federal Judge Blocks TPS Termination for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
A federal district court ruled on December 31, 2025 that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, finding that Secretary Kristi Noem made a “pre-ordained decision” to end the programs before conducting the required review of country conditions. In a 52-page summary judgment, the court concluded that Noem “influenced the conditions review process to facilitate TPS terminations” rather than basing her decision on an objective assessment as required by the TPS statute and the Administrative Procedure Act. The TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua were established in the late 1990s following Hurricane Mitch, while Nepal’s designation was created in 2015 after a deadly earthquake.
The ruling restores work authorization and deportation protections for the affected TPS holders, many of whom have lived in the United States for more than two decades. The Department of Homeland Security criticized the decision, arguing that TPS “was never designed to be permanent” and that conditions in the three countries have improved sufficiently to end the designations. Separately, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., is currently weighing whether to block TPS termination for approximately 350,000 Haitians, with a decision expected by February 2, one day before Haiti’s TPS designation expires. The court expressed skepticism during a January 6 hearing about whether DHS adequately evaluated conditions in Haiti, where gangs control much of the capital following the 2021 assassination of the country’s last democratically elected president.
Judge Permits ICE to Access Limited Medicaid Data for Immigration Enforcement
A federal court ruled on December 29, 2025 that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may share limited Medicaid enrollment information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation purposes, partially lifting a preliminary injunction that had blocked data transfers since August. The ruling permits HHS to provide six categories of basic information about individuals unlawfully present in the United States, including citizenship and immigration status, address, phone number, date of birth, and Medicaid ID, but prohibits sharing personal health records or medical information. The court found that federal statutes clearly authorize interagency cooperation for law enforcement purposes, including immigration enforcement, and that sharing basic biographical and location data complies with privacy laws.
The decision is a setback for California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 20 other Democratic attorneys general who sued the Trump administration in July, arguing that data sharing would deter immigrants from seeking medical care and violate health privacy protections. Undocumented immigrants are generally ineligible for federal Medicaid, but California and several other states—including Illinois, Colorado, New York, Washington, Oregon, and Minnesota—allow some individuals to receive state-funded benefits through their Medicaid programs regardless of immigration status. The ruling has created urgency for undocumented Californians to enroll in Medi-Cal before January 2027, when the state will freeze eligibility for unauthorized immigrants, though community health workers report that fears over data sharing and the proposed public charge rule are causing some to forgo enrollment despite their need for prenatal care, prescription medications, and other services.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
S. 3584
Stop Illegal Aliens Drunk Driving Act
The bill would amend the definition of aggravated felony in the Immigration and Nationality Act to include certain serious drunk driving offenses.
Sponsored by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) (10 cosponsors — 9 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
01/07/2026 Introduced in the Senate by Senator John Cornyn
01/07/2026 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
S. 3592
A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to parole into the United States certain relatives of current and former members of the Armed Forces
Sponsored by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) (4 cosponsors — 0 Republicans, 4 Democrats)
01/07/2026 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Tammy Duckworth
01/07/2026 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
S. 3602
Public Charge Clarification Act of 2025
The bill would codify the core elements of the proposed rule put forth by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2018. This is a companion bill of H.R. 6987.
Sponsored by Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) (1 cosponsor — 1 Republican, 0 Democrats)
01/08/2026 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Roger Marshall
01/08/2026 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 6937
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the H-1B program
Sponsored by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) (0 cosponsors)
01/02/2026 Introduced in the House by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene
01/02/2026 Referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary
H.R. 6946
Temporary Protected Status Reform Act of 2026
The bill would terminate Temporary Protected Status designations for Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.
Sponsored by Representative Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) (0 cosponsors)
01/06/2026 Introduced in the House by Representative Wesley Hunt
01/06/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 6958
PROTECT Military Families Act
The bill would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to parole family members of qualifying current or former members of the U.S. Armed Forces. It would create a mandatory pathway to Parole in Place (PIP) benefitting spouses, widows or widowers, parents, or children of qualifying current or former U.S. Armed Forces members.
Sponsored by Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros (D-California) (1 cosponsor — 0 Republicans, 1 Democrat) 1/07/2026 Introduced in the House by Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros
01/07/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 6978
To direct the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to conduct a review of certain approved immigration benefit requests
Sponsored by Representative Brad Finstad (R-Minnesota) (0 cosponsors)
01/08/2026 Introduced in the House by Representative Brad Finstad
01/08/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to be in session Monday, January 12 through Friday, January 16. The House of Representatives is scheduled to be in session Monday, January 12 through Thursday, January 15.
UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS
Biden’s Afghan Parolee Program: A Trojan Horse with Flawed Vetting and Deadly Consequences
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 2:30 PM ET (Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration)
Location: G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Witnesses: To be announced
SPOTLIGHT ON 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:
Explainer: H-1B Proposed Rule Would Replace Random Lottery System with a Weighted Selection Lottery
America’s Children Act of 2025: Bill Summary
Explainer: 2025 Proposed Rule on Public Charge
USCIS Internal Memo on Review of Admitted Refugees
Comparative Analysis of Nonimmigrant Work Visa Issuance Under the Biden and Trump Administrations (February-May 2024 vs. February-May 2025)
*As of publication (1/9/26 at 4:00PM EST)
This Bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive. Please contact Nicci Mattey, Senior Policy & Advocacy Associate at the Forum, with questions, comments, and suggestions for additional items to be included. Nicci can be reached at nmattey@immigrationforum.org. Thank you.