Federal
TPS Holders From Ukraine and Sudan Retain Protections for Now
Ukrainian and Sudanese Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders will retain protection from deportation and work authorization while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considers the future of both countries’ designations. The protections were scheduled to expire on October 19, but U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted brief, two-sentence alerts on its website stating that an announcement would be made “at the appropriate time” and that beneficiaries retain their protections in the meantime. The approach mirrors the agency’s September announcement for Salvadoran TPS holders, offering continued protection without specifying its duration or a deadline for a final decision. Approximately 101,150 Ukrainians and 1,790 Sudanese held TPS as of March 2025. TPS provides temporary protection to eligible individuals unable to return home safely because of armed conflict, disasters or other extraordinary conditions, but does not itself provide a pathway to permanent residence.
The announcements preserve beneficiaries’ legal protections but leave significant practical questions unresolved. USCIS has not updated its employment-verification instructions or Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) guidance to explain how continued authorization should be documented beyond October 19, creating uncertainty for employers and agencies verifying immigration status. Those gaps risk interruptions in employment and access to services requiring proof of status, including REAL ID compliant driver licenses. The lack of a formal decision also raises questions about whether federal law automatically extends the designations for six months, an interpretation DHS has not expressly confirmed. Community organizations welcomed the reprieve but warned that the uncertainty makes it difficult for families to plan their work and daily lives. The continued protections stand in contrast to the administration’s termination of TPS for 13 of the 17 countries that held TPS status at the start of 2025, affecting more than 1 million people.
Immigration Crackdown Squeezes Construction Labor Force, Slowing Home Building
Heightened immigration enforcement is disrupting construction crews, delaying home building and increasing labor costs as employers report losing workers to both arrests and fears of enforcement. Nearly two-thirds of builders said immigration enforcement was affecting their workforce in September, up from 23 percent in March and 13 percent a year earlier. Roofers, painters and framers have been particularly affected, leaving some projects stalled while builders search for available crews. A separate September survey by the National Association of Home Builders found that labor costs had increased a median of 4.2 percent over the previous year. The disruptions compound existing workforce pressures, including competition from data center construction for electricians and other specialized workers.
Builders say enforcement has extended project timelines and driven up costs, while DHS maintains that it targets people with criminal histories and will also arrest others encountered without lawful status. The disruption comes as the industry increasingly depends on immigrant labor: research from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that immigrants accounted for all net growth in the construction trades workforce between 2013 and 2024 and represented 35 percent of trades workers in 2024. Declining immigration threatens that labor supply, making it harder to replace aging workers and expand housing production.
Legal
Federal Judge Restricts DHS Noncitizen Voter Investigations
A federal judge in California ordered DHS to restrict election-related field operations in nine states, finding that its efforts to identify possible noncitizen voters likely violate the Voting Rights Act’s prohibition on voter intimidation. In an October 21 order, the judge barred operations targeting people officials know or reasonably should suspect are U.S. citizens, as well as operations based solely on USCIS data matching without further investigation. The restrictions cover California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin and are scheduled to take effect on October 23 through the close of polls on Election Day, unless an appeal changes that timeline. The judge cited flawed data and highly publicized arrests as creating a reasonable fear of law enforcement encounters that could discourage citizens from urging or helping others vote. She emphasized that the ruling does not prohibit lawful investigations into illegal voting. DHS said it has no plans to investigate people it believes are U.S. citizens.
The ruling comes amid mounting questions about the accuracy of federal lists identifying suspected noncitizen voters. A preliminary Los Angeles County review of 200 people on a Department of Justice (DOJ) list of approximately 20,000 potentially ineligible California registrants found that nearly 40 percent indicated they were born in the United States, strong evidence of citizenship, and that 71.2 percent of the records showed no voting history. Those findings concern a small sample, not the entire statewide list. Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter acknowledged that some people listed could ultimately prove to be citizens, while DOJ maintained that California should independently verify their eligibility. On October 19, federal prosecutors separately announced charges against 28 green card holders in California for allegedly voting or registering unlawfully. State reviews and audits have consistently found noncitizen voting to be extremely rare, and the judge’s order distinguishes investigating alleged violations from using unreliable data in ways that could intimidate eligible voters.
Religious Groups Win Appeal in Fight Over ICE Raids at Houses of Worship
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled October 20 that 27 Christian and Jewish organizations can continue challenging the Trump administration’s decision to lift restrictions on immigration enforcement at houses of worship. In a 2-1 decision, the court found that the groups had demonstrated a credible threat of enforcement likely to cause imminent harm, reversing an April 2025 ruling by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich. Back in April, Friedrich had denied their request for a preliminary injunction because she found insufficient evidence of an imminent threat to their congregations. The appeals court returned the case to her to reconsider that request. The ruling does not itself restrict ICE operations at houses of worship or decide whether the administration’s policy is lawful.
The lawsuit challenges then-acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman’s January 20, 2025, rescission of guidance limiting enforcement at sensitive locations, including schools and houses of worship. Federal restrictions dated to 1993, and guidance issued in 2021 generally required prior headquarters approval for enforcement at those locations, with exceptions for emergencies and other specified circumstances. The religious groups argue that removing those safeguards interferes with worship and ministry and violates the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. They cited enforcement during a church service, a food distribution ministry and preschool pickup, saying such activity has left congregants afraid to attend services and exercise their faith. The appeals court found that restoring the previous guidance could alleviate at least some of those harms. DHS maintains that ICE does not target churches or other places of worship.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
H.R. 10896
To terminate the diversity immigrant visa program
Sponsored by Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) (0 cosponsors)
10/22/2026 Introduced by Rep. Self
10/22/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 10893
Emergency Assistance Privacy Protection Act of 2026
The bill would prohibit the use of personally identifiable information collected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for enforcement of the immigration laws.
Sponsored by Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colorado) (1 cosponsor)
10/22/2026 Introduced by Rep. Pettersen
10/22/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R. 10856
LIHTC Security Act
The bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to prevent “certain alien individuals” from occupying low-income units of qualified low-income housing projects.
Sponsored by Rep. Jodey C. Arrington (R-Texas) (2 cosponsors)
10/22/2026 Introduced by Rep. Arrington
10/22/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate and House will be in recess until November 9.
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: Proposed OPT Fees Could Limit Opportunities for International Students and American Employers
The Expansion of AI-Driven Biometric Systems in Immigration Enforcement
Explainer: New Rule Shortens Refugees’ Time to Contest Termination of Their Status
Fact Sheet: Temporary Protected Status
*As of publication (10/23/26 at 2:30 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.