Federal
Senate Republicans Unveil $72 Billion Immigration Enforcement Reconciliation Package
Senate Republicans released a $72 billion reconciliation package on May 5 to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through fiscal year (FY) 2029. The bill moves through the budget reconciliation process, which allows passage with a simple Senate majority of 51 votes rather than the 60 typically required to overcome a filibuster. The Senate Judiciary Committee text provides $30.73 billion for ICE hiring, training, facilities and deportation operations, plus $10 billion for detention expansion and $1.5 billion for Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration courts. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee adds $25 billion for CBP agents, technology, surveillance and border barriers. The bill follows a DHS partial shutdown that began February 14 and became the longest in the department’s history, after Democrats blocked full DHS funding over demands for ICE accountability measures.
This package now adds to over $150 billion in total immigration enforcement funding already approved under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which provided $75 billion for ICE and $70 billion for CBP, available through September 2029. The bill also includes $1 billion for White House East Wing security upgrades tied to President Trump’s ballroom project, a provision that drew bipartisan criticism after Trump had previously described the project as privately funded. House passage remains uncertain, as some conservatives are pushing for deeper spending offsets and the narrow GOP margin leaves little room for defections
ICE Ends Expedited Training Program for New Officers Amid Hiring Surge
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced it will end the accelerated 42-day officer training program it adopted in August 2025 to rapidly expand its enforcement workforce, reverting to the standard 72-day academy course beginning July 1. The expedited program cut roughly 240 hours from the traditional 584-hour curriculum at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia, condensing or eliminating instruction on constitutional law, use of force, legal searches and seizures, and firearms. The change comes after ICE nearly doubled its officer ranks to approximately 22,000 agents.
The expedited program came under intense scrutiny after Ryan Schwank, a former ICE instructor and attorney who resigned in February 2026, testified that the training had become “deficient, defective, and broken.” Internal documents released alongside his whistleblower testimony showed that required practical exams had dropped from 25 to 9 since the program launched. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) repeatedly denied removing training requirements, with acting ICE Director Todd Lyons telling lawmakers in February that daily training hours had increased to compensate for the shorter timeline.
Administration Exempts Foreign Physicians From Travel Ban Visa Restrictions
The Trump administration quietly exempted foreign physicians from a visa processing freeze tied to the January 21 travel ban, which had halted decisions on visa extensions, work permits, and green cards for citizens of 39 countries. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its website without a formal announcement to clarify that doctors are no longer subject to the processing hold. DHS confirmed that “applications associated with medical physicians will continue processing,” offering reassurance to thousands of international medical graduates who had been left in limbo since the ban took effect.
The policy shift follows weeks of pressure from medical associations and hospitals, which had placed some physicians on administrative leave while others faced the imminent threat of losing their jobs. On April 8, more than 20 physician associations signed a letter to the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security calling for a national-interest exemption and expedited processing for international medical graduates. Physicians from Africa, the Middle East, and Venezuela were among those most affected by the freeze, and the administration also separately rolled back a processing freeze that had stalled pathways for physicians from African countries in particular. The exemption is narrow: the broader travel ban processing pause remains in effect for most employment- and family-based petitions tied to citizens of the listed countries.
Legal
Civil Rights Groups Challenge Texas State Immigration Law
A coalition of civil rights groups filed a new lawsuit seeking to block key provisions of Texas Senate Bill 4 (S.B. 4), a 2023 state law that allows local and state police to arrest people suspected of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully and empowers state magistrates to issue deportation orders. The lawsuit was filed days before the law was set to take effect, following a federal appeals court decision overturning a lower court injunction that had blocked enforcement for several years. The groups argue that S.B. 4 is unconstitutional because immigration enforcement falls exclusively within the federal government’s jurisdiction and federal law should preempt the state measure.
The lawsuit targets four specific provisions: the creation of a state crime for unauthorized reentry, even for individuals who have since obtained legal status such as a green card; the authority granted to state magistrates to issue deportation orders; the criminalization of noncompliance with such orders; and a requirement that magistrates continue prosecutions even when a person has a pending federal immigration case, such as an asylum claim. “S.B. 4 would transform our police and judges into immigration agents, threatening neighbors who have families here, who have lived here for years, even those who have legal status,” said Adriana Piñon, legal director of the ACLU of Texas.
State and Local
ICE Restricts Public Access to Local Immigration Enforcement Records in Florida and Texas
A directive from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), emailed to hundreds of local police departments and sheriff’s offices in Florida and Texas between April 19 and May 5, bars participating agencies from responding to public records requests about their role in immigration enforcement without express federal approval. The directive applies to agencies enrolled in the 287(g) program and states that “information obtained or developed” through those arrangements, including documents created by local law enforcement, is “under the control of ICE” and cannot be released without federal clearance. The policy has raised alarm among journalists and transparency advocates, who argue it conflicts with Florida’s Sunshine Law, one of the strongest open records statutes in the country. ICE has not publicly announced the directive and rejected multiple requests for comment, and when at least one department attempted to seek federal clearance to fulfill a records request, ICE cited limited funding during the partial government shutdown as a reason for non-response.
The directive comes as Florida has become one of the leading states for 287(g) participation, driven in part by ongoing federal and state financial incentives for local agencies that enroll. The administration has used funding tied to the One Big Beautiful Budget Act to offer participating agencies vehicles, equipment, officer bonuses, and salary reimbursements, with ICE announcing nearly $40 million in payments to Florida departments alone. Miami’s ICE field office leads the country in arrests, a surge driven largely by local law enforcement cooperation under the program.
Texas Mariachi Brothers Released From ICE Detention Go on to Open for Kacey Musgraves
Three brothers from McAllen, Texas, Antonio, Caleb, and Joshua Gámez-Cuéllar, opened for Grammy-winning country artist Kacey Musgraves at sold-out shows at Gruene Hall, roughly two months after the family was detained by ICE. The brothers, members of McAllen High School’s award-winning Mariachi Oro group, received the invitation from Musgraves just two weeks after their release from detention. The family said they entered the United States through the now-defunct CBP One asylum process in 2023 after fleeing violence in Mexico, and had been awaiting an immigration court hearing when ICE detained them. DHS maintained that the family had entered illegally, while lawmakers from both parties pushed for their release, arguing the family had followed the law.
The Gámez-Cuéllar family’s story drew widespread national attention, becoming a high-profile example of the human impact of the administration’s immigration enforcement approach on families who entered through legal channels. Musgraves, who is from Texas, personally extended the invitation to the brothers after learning of their story. “I feel so grateful for her and God for this opportunity that they have given me, given us,” said Caleb Gámez-Cuéllar. Beyond the performance, the brothers said they hope their story encourages other immigrant families and young musicians facing adversity.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
H.R. 8586
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to protect American workers and values
Sponsored by Rep. Barry Moore (R-Alabama) (5 cosponsors)
04/29/2026 Introduced by Rep. Moore
04/29/2026 Referred to the Committees on the Judiciary and Education and Workforce
H.R. 8628
To repeal section 101(a)(15)(U) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and for other purposes
Sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) (2 cosponsors)
04/30/2026 Introduced by Rep. Roy
04/30/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 8635
VERIFY Act of 2026
Sponsored by Rep. Jefferson Shreve (R-Indiana) (1 cosponsor)
04/30/2026 Introduced by Rep. Shreve
04/30/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 8639
Critical Operation Oversight of Law Enforcement Intervention and Training Act
Sponsored by Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Ohio) (0 cosponsors)
04/30/2026 Introduced by Rep. Sykes
04/30/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 8643
To prohibit covered financial institutions from collecting, maintaining, and disclosing information relating to the citizenship status and immigration status of consumers, and for other purposes
Sponsored by Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-New York) (0 cosponsors)
04/30/2026 Introduced by Rep. Torres
04/30/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services
H.R. 8683
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to codify the Optional Practical Training program
Sponsored by Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-North Carolina) (0 cosponsors)
05/07/2026 Introduced by Rep. Foushee
05/07/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to be in session from Monday, May 11, through Friday, May 15. The U.S. House is scheduled to be in session from Tuesday, May 12, through Friday, May 15.
UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS
“Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies”
Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET (House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement)
Location: 2141 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Witnesses: Steve Descano (Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney), Stacey Kincaid (Fairfax County Sheriff), Jeff McKay (Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman
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:
Reclassifying ‘Applicants for Admission’: How the Second Trump Administration is Reshaping Mandatory Detention
Why Businesses Should Support Immigration Reform
Explainer: Proposed State Legislation on K-12 Enrollment and Immigration Documentation – Tennessee and South Carolina
Explainer: Plyler v. Doe and the Right of Undocumented Children to Access Public Education
*As of publication (5/8/26 at 12:45 PM 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.