Federal
White House Expands Refugee Admissions for Afrikaners
The Trump administration moved forward with a proposal in a report to Congress to increase the current fiscal year refugee ceiling by 10,000 additional refugees, raising the ceiling from 7,500 to 17,500. All of the 10,000 additional refugee slots would be held exclusively for White South Africans. The administration cited an “emergency refugee situation” that warranted the increase in refugee arrivals based on alleged white persecution in South Africa, something the South African government strongly disputes.
The administration’s prioritization of Afrikaners for resettlement has raised concerns as White South Africans have not been designated as a group warranting refugee status by UNHCR, and refugees who previously received conditional approval for resettlement are no longer being resettled. In fiscal year 2026, through April 30, a total of 6,069 refugees were resettled to the U.S. Of those, 6,066 were white South Africans. The remaining 3 refugees were from Afghanistan.
Executive Order Targets Noncitizens’ Access to Banking
President Trump signed an executive order on May 19 that could require banks to collect more information about their customers’ immigration status. The order directs the Department of the Treasury to issue a formal advisory to banks and other financial institutions regarding the risks associated with providing financial services to individuals without lawful immigration status. It also requires the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to “consider clarifying that potential deportation and loss of wages are factors that could adversely affect a non-work authorized borrower’s ability to repay” loans and other credits. The order argues that the United States cannot “permit risks to our financial system” posed by the extension of credit and financial services to undocumented individuals.
Earlier reports indicated that the Trump administration was drafting an executive order that would require banks to collect customers’ citizenship information. The banking industry expressed opposition to such a requirement, noting that it could cost between $2.6 billion to $5.6 billion annually to implement.
The order follows additional efforts from the Trump administration to increase immigration enforcement. The administration’s efforts to create a data-sharing agreement between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which has been blocked by a federal court, is likely to deter certain undocumented workers from filing taxes. The U.S. could potentially lose up to $479 billion in tax revenue over the next 10 years as a result.
USCIS Announces New Guidance on Adjustment of Status
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on May 22 new guidance that could require a higher number of immigrants adjusting to permanent resident status to complete the process outside the United States. Under the guidance, non-immigrants seeking lawful permanent residency (LPR or “green card” status) would be required to return to their home country, even if they are currently living in the U.S. They would complete screening procedures and obtain an immigrant visa through the U.S. Department of State, before reentering the U.S. as immigrants. Per the guidance, USCIS will only allow individuals to remain in the U.S. and complete the adjustment of status process domestically in “extraordinary circumstances.”
Under Section 245(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), an individual who has been “inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States” may be adjusted to LPR status while they are living in the U.S. The new guidance interprets these provisions more narrowly. The policy is likely to impact non-immigrants in the U.S., including temporary workers, individuals in tourist visas, and international students. It could also impact other immigrant communities in the U.S., including TPS holders and DACA recipients who are adjusting to LPR status.
Legal
Trump Administration Onboards More Than 80 Immigration Judges
On May 21, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it would be onboarding more than 80 immigration judges, the largest-ever single class of immigration judges in agency history. In a time of massive immigration court case backlogs and large scale immigration enforcement efforts by the Trump administration, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the new hires would aid in “reestablishing an immigration judge corps that is dedicated to restoring the rule to the law in our nation’s immigration system.”
The immigration court system – the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) – is part of DOJ, meaning that immigration judges lack the judicial independence and life tenure of federal judges. While the new cohort of judges will aid in managing immigration court caseloads, since early 2025, the Trump administration has terminated more than 100 sitting immigration judges. Critics have noted that immigration judges with higher-than-average rates of granting asylum to applicants or immigration judges with immigrant legal defense backgrounds have tended to be targeted in terminations. Critics have also highlighted that DOJ has posted and referred to the new positions as “deportation judges” rather than “immigration judges” and noted that previous rounds of immigration judges hired by the Trump administration have often had limited immigration law experience.
The May class includes 77 immigration judges and 5 temporary immigration judges.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
S. 4596
A bill to strengthen hiring and screening standards for immigration enforcement officers and to strengthen uniform, identification, and professional conduct standards for such offers.
Sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) (0 cosponsors)
05/20/2026 Introduced by Sen. Bennet
05/20/2026 Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
S. 4593
A bill to amend title II of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require mandatory detention of aliens who are physically present in the United States, but have not been admitted to the United States.
Sponsored by Sen. Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) (4 cosponsors)
05/20/2026 Introduced by Sen. Budd
05/20/2026 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
S. 4590
A bill to limit the Department of Homeland Security from detaining children and individuals with a cognitive disability and to prohibit immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations without a court-issued criminal warrant.
Sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) (0 cosponsors)
05/20/2026 Introduced by Sen. Bennet
05/20/2026 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 8920
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to share Individual Taxpayer Identification Number information with the Department of Homeland Security for the purpose of enforcing immigration laws.
Sponsored by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Arizona) (2 cosponsors)
05/20/2026 Introduced by Rep. Biggs
05/20/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives will not be in session on the week of Monday, May 25.
UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS
There are no immigration-related hearings scheduled for the week of Monday, May 25.
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:
Why Businesses Should Support Immigration Reform
*As of publication (5/22/26 at 3:00PM 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@forumtogether.org. Thank you.