Federal
Republicans Elect Jim Jordan as House Leader, Retain John Thune in Senate
On November 10, House Republicans elected Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to lead their conference in the next Congress, defeating current Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) in a 106–73 secret-ballot vote. Jordan will succeed Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who did not seek the position. Senate Republicans reelected Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota) without opposition. Both will serve as minority leaders beginning in January 2027, following Democrats’ election victories in both chambers.
Jordan currently chairs the House Judiciary Committee and has also served on the House Oversight Committee. The elections selected party leaders, not committee chairs or ranking members; the reports did not identify who will succeed Jordan as the Judiciary Committee’s top Republican. Those separate committee selections will help determine which lawmakers lead immigration-related legislative work and oversight in the new Congress.
Secretary Mullin Signals Openness to Permanent Legal Status for DACA Recipients
On November 9, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he was open to discussing legislation that would provide permanent legal status for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA currently provides eligible immigrants who arrived as children temporary protection from deportation and renewable work authorization, but not permanent residence or a direct path to citizenship. Mullin said President Trump had encouraged him to engage with Democrats who had contacted him about immigration legislation, but emphasized that the administration remained opposed to what he called “amnesty” and had not discussed changing its enforcement policies. He said any permanent status for DACA recipients would be up to Congress and offered no details on eligibility, timing or a potential pathway to citizenship.
The comments followed President Trump’s November 8 CBS interview in which he said his deportation policy “might be too tough” and may have contributed to Republican losses in the midterm elections. Trump also expressed interest in reaching an immigration agreement with the incoming Democratic congressional majorities, without outlining a specific proposal.
Reports Raise Concerns About ICE Recruit Vetting During Hiring Expansion
A November 10 investigation identified at least 19 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruits hired despite records of past misconduct or criminality. The review examined records exposed in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data breach and identified former police officers whose histories included a fatal shooting and dismissal over concerns about on-duty behavior. The findings follow a September report detailing a whistleblower complaint alleging that some applicants received job offers before completing basic fingerprint, identity or credit checks. The official’s allegations have become part of an ongoing DHS inspector general audit of vetting practices.
ICE has also begun dismissing some employees hired during its expansion, which brought approximately 12,000 recruits into the agency. Former DHS officials said some dismissals involved performance problems or background issues they believed should have been identified before hiring. An ICE spokesperson described the personnel decisions as routine and said the agency removes employees who do not meet its standards. The agency also said applicants may begin training on temporary status while full background investigations remain pending and that its Office of Professional Responsibility evaluates applicants’ information under established vetting requirements.
Legal
Supreme Court Allows Border Wall Construction to Continue in West Texas
On November 9, the Supreme Court paused a lower court injunction blocking border barrier construction in West Texas’s Big Bend region, allowing work to resume while litigation continues. The unsigned decision said the government was “exceedingly likely to prevail” on its argument that the district court lacked authority to consider the plaintiffs’ challenge to the Department of Homeland Security’s environmental and conservation law waivers. The court declined to immediately reverse the lower court’s ruling, leaving the underlying dispute unresolved.
The lawsuit, brought by an environmental organization, a church preservation group and a local landowner, challenges the administration’s authority to waive legal requirements for the project. Plaintiffs cite potential damage to property, ecosystems and cultural sites, while the administration argues that additional barriers are necessary to prevent crossings from shifting into the region as construction proceeds elsewhere. According to the government’s court filing, plans include 30-foot steel barriers on private property and patrol roads, vehicle barriers and other infrastructure in park areas, but not border walls within Big Bend National Park or Big Bend Ranch State Park.
State and Local
ICE Agents Block Hospital Ambulance Entrance, Drawing Protests in Los Angeles
Federal immigration agents blocked the ambulance entrance at Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights neighborhood overnight November 6–7, prompting the hospital to divert ambulances to nearby facilities for approximately two hours, according to a hospital spokesperson. Agents had brought a person in their custody to the emergency department for treatment. Hospital officials said they neither requested nor authorized the obstruction. Hospital President Daniel Fontoura said staff also denied a request for agents to remain present during a physician-patient consultation and contacted the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) when access for emergency vehicles was blocked.
Community members and local officials gathered outside the hospital to protest and seek an explanation from hospital leadership. LAPD said its officers responded to maintain public safety and did not assist with immigration enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to discuss the operation, citing operational security, and said it does not target hospitals. Hospital leadership said the facility does not participate in immigration enforcement and provides care regardless of immigration status.
Detention of University of Maryland Student and Mother Draws Community Support
A University of Maryland freshman and her mother were detained during a scheduled immigration check-in in Baltimore in early November, according to the student’s boyfriend, Cesar Saavedra. The student, Maria Flores Garcia, came to the United States from El Salvador as a child and graduated as valedictorian of Parkdale High School in Prince George’s County in 2026. She now studies public health at the university on a scholarship. Saavedra said both women were subsequently held in Louisiana and launched a fundraiser to help them obtain an immigration attorney.
Local leaders have called for the women’s release, and the university said it was working to provide resources where possible and appropriate. The Department of Homeland Security said Flores Garcia was placed in removal proceedings after being apprehended in December 2016 and received a final removal order in February 2021. The department said she would remain in immigration detention pending deportation.
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to be in session from Monday, November 16, through Friday, November 20. The U.S. House is scheduled to be in session from Tuesday, November 17, through Friday, November 20.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
H.R. 11016
No Kids As Bait Act
The bill would prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from using deceptive immigration enforcement practices involving taking a child into custody for the purpose of apprehending an alien parent of the child.
Sponsored by Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Florida) (27 cosponsors)
11/12/2026 Introduced by Rep. Frost
11/12/2026 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security
H.R. 11008
Strengthening Citizenship Services for Veterans Act
The bill would require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to facilitate naturalization services for noncitizen veterans who have been removed from the United States or are inadmissible.
Sponsored by Rep. Juan Vargas (D-California) (2 cosponsors)
11/11/2026 Introduced by Rep. Vargas
11/11/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 10974
DHS Funding Accountability Act
The bill would rescind appropriations provided to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection by the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
Sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Illinois) (7 cosponsors)
11/10/2026 Introduced by Rep. Underwood
11/10/2026 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means and Homeland Security
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:
Explainer: Visa Bond Program
Explainer: Proposed Changes to the 2030 Census
Explainer: Proposed OPT Fees Could Limit Opportunities for International Students and American Employers
*As of publication (11/13/26 at 3:00 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.