Federal
Trump Administration Considering Halting Immigration Processing at Airports in “Sanctuary Cities”
The Trump administration is reportedly “drawing up plans” to stop immigration and customs processing at international airports in so-called sanctuary cities, including major hubs such as New York, Los Angeles, Newark, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration is still only “under active consideration,” but he tied it to what he described as local resistance to federal immigration enforcement and recent protests in Newark.
The potential plans come at a sensitive moment for the travel sector, with major airports already managing heavy international traffic and preparing for a busy summer season. The proposal would not close the airports themselves, but it could sharply affect how international flights are handled if federal customs and immigration staff are pulled back from those airports. It also comes just weeks before the FIFA World Cup, raising concerns about travel disruptions, trade delays, and economic fallout. Airlines, airport operators and travel industry groups warned that disrupting arrival processing could slow passenger screening, delay cargo and create ripple effects for tourism, business travel and international trade. Legal experts also noted the plans could violate travelers’ constitutional rights.
DHS Directs ICE to Pursue More Cases Against Immigration Attorneys
On May 26, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorneys to more aggressively pursue administrative fraud cases against immigration lawyers accused of filing false asylum claims, the latest step in the administration’s effort to expand enforcement and challenge the legal infrastructure around immigration. DHS General Counsel James Percival instructed ICE attorneys within the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to develop “anti-fraud policies” for “robust enforcement” of existing federal anti-fraud law, explicitly stating that enforcement “should include” action against immigration attorneys filing what the department sees as false claims in immigration court.
The directive does not create new legal authorities, but signals that ICE lawyers will begin using existing administrative tools more aggressively, including the civil penalty statute that allows the government to fine those who knowingly file false or fraudulent immigration documents. The memo directly invokes President Trump’s March directive targeting attorneys who file what the administration describes as frivolous litigation against federal immigration policies, and Percival quoted the president’s assertion that immigration lawyers “frequently coach clients to conceal their past or lie about their circumstances.” The American Immigration Lawyers Association called the broader campaign against immigration attorneys “dangerous,” saying that it threatens to chill legal representation for asylum seekers who depend on lawyers to navigate an increasingly complex and changing policy system.
Administration Extends TPS for Lebanon for Six Months
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an automatic six-month extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Lebanon, pushing the designation’s expiration from May 2026 to November 2026. The extension covers an estimated 7,000 Lebanese nationals currently living in the United States who rely on TPS for work authorization and protection from deportation. Lebanon has held TPS designation since 2023 following the country’s ongoing economic collapse, political instability and the devastating aftermath of the 2024 conflict with Israel. DHS said Secretary Markwayne Mullin did not have adequate time to review Lebanon’s designation and that it was allowed to renew automatically for the six-month period.
The decision was welcomed by humanitarian groups, with the International Rescue Committee calling it a necessary measure given the continued instability in Lebanon and the lack of safe conditions for return. The six-month window is shorter than the 12- or 18-month extensions typically granted under prior administrations, and advocates have noted that the limited timeframe creates uncertainty for Lebanese nationals trying to plan their lives and maintain employment. The administration has not indicated whether it will pursue a longer-term redesignation.
Legal
Immigration Courts Reportedly Turn to “Mega Masters” to Accelerate Deportation Hearings
Reports indicate immigration courts are increasingly scheduling mass master hearings, known as “mega masters,” that pack 100 or more cases into a single session, a sharp departure from the standard practice of grouping 10 to 15 individuals at a time. Master hearings are usually the first step in deportation proceedings. The mega masters hearings are primarily affecting immigrants without legal representation, and attorneys report that individuals who arrive late or fail to appear are being issued removal orders on the spot. Attorneys also said that some master calendar hearings originally scheduled for 2027, 2028 and 2029 are being abruptly pulled forward and merged into these larger sessions, often with little or no advance notice.
Attorneys argue the primary goal of the mega master sessions is to generate in absentia removal orders against immigrants who fail to appear, helping the administration clear a backlog it has identified as a top priority. Courts have also received a nationwide directive to expedite master calendar hearings scheduled for July or later. Immigration attorneys say the practice is unprecedented and raises serious due process concerns, since individuals are being moved through removal proceedings at a scale that makes meaningful individual review nearly impossible.
Supreme Court Sides with Trump Administration on Immigration Judges’ Speech Restrictions
On May 26, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision that had allowed immigration judges to pursue a free speech lawsuit in federal court. The case was brought by the National Association of Immigration Judges, which filed suit in 2020 over a government policy limiting judges’ work-related public statements, including guest lectures at universities and appearances before community groups. In an unsigned five-page opinion with no noted dissents, the justices said the Fourth Circuit had overstepped by deciding the case on grounds neither party had raised and the litigation will continue in the lower courts.
Immigration judges are not Article III judges with lifetime tenure but rather employees of the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), and the ruling could affirm the administration’s position that it has broad authority to control how those employees communicate publicly. The decision has significant implications for the independence of the immigration court system, which has come under intense pressure during the administration’s enforcement surge.
State and Local
Newark Immigration Detention Facility Faces Mounting Pressure as Protests, Allegations, and Hunger Strike Continue
Delaney Hall, a privately run immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, has become the center of a widening confrontation involving hunger strikers, protesters, elected officials, and the federal government. Detainees began a hunger strike to protest conditions inside the facility, with attorneys and advocates reporting allegations of expired food, neglected medical care, inadequate access to legal counsel, and retaliation against those who refuse meals. Federal officials have denied that a hunger strike is taking place, but relatives of detainees have disputed that claim.
Protests outside Delaney Hall have drawn large crowds and led to repeated clashes between demonstrators and federal agents. Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) was among a group of demonstrators targeted with pepper balls and spray during a confrontation. On May 28, relatives of detainees reported that guards were using fists, batons, and chemical irritants against hunger strikers inside the facility. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill has demanded access to the facility, and state health officials who sought to conduct an inspection were denied entry.
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to be in session from Monday, June 1, through Friday, June 5. The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to be in session from Tuesday, June 2, through Friday, June 5.
UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS
Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Homeland Security
Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET (Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security)
Location: 138 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Witness: Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin
A Review of the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET (House Committee on Homeland Security)
Location: 310 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Witness: Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin
Protecting American Citizenship III: Denaturalization and its Constitutional Limits
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET (Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution)
Location: 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Witnesses: To be announced
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:
Medical Care in ICE Detention
The Consequences of Net Negative Migration in 2025: Implications for the U.S. Economy, Workforce, and Global Competitiveness
Reclassifying ‘Applicants for Admission’: How the Second Trump Administration is Reshaping Mandatory Detention
Why Businesses Should Support Immigration Reform
*As of publication (5/29/26 at 2:30PM 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.