Federal
Investigation Finds ICE Detained Record Number of Pregnant Women While Losing Track of Miscarriage Data
According to an investigative report published on September 15, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has no current data on the number of miscarriages experienced by pregnant women in immigration detention; the most recent data are from October 2025. Present statistics show the rate of detained pregnant women is accelerating, causing some analysts to question the Department of Homeland Security’s adherence to a 2021 rule that limits the detention of pregnant individuals.
The causes of miscarriage are complex: it’s not possible to say that being in ICE detention causes miscarriage. Still, proper prenatal and emergency medical care can reduce the risk of miscarriage and other dangerous complications. According to first-hand accounts of detained women, such care was not provided even when they experienced experiencing severe pain and bleeding, typical symptoms of miscarriage. The findings come as ICE remains without permanent leadership: the White House withdrew its nomination of Lance Schroyer to head the agency on September 17, after his confirmation stalled in the Senate.
Legal
Court Halts DHS Rule Limiting Duration of Student Visa Stays
A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on September 14, blocking a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule that would have capped F and J visas for international students and exchange visitors at four years and limited I visas for foreign journalists to 240 days, just one day before the rule was set to take effect. The judge ruled that a coalition of unions and higher education groups was “likely to succeed” on several grounds in their lawsuit challenging the rule, finding the government’s national security rationale “exceptionally weak” and calling the claim that the rule was necessary to safeguard national security something that “borders on the absurd”.
The ruling preserves the decades-old “duration of status” framework nationwide for now, meaning F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and I-visa journalists continue to be admitted for the length of their academic program or qualifying employment rather than a fixed term. DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are barred from implementing or enforcing the rule while the litigation continues. The judge’s order postponed the rule’s effective date but denied, without prejudice, the plaintiffs’ request to permanently vacate the rule at this stage, meaning the injunction is a preliminary rather than final resolution of the case; the next court hearing is scheduled for October 2. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision.
Legal
DHS Watchdog Report Details Use of Small Cages at Alligator Alcatraz
A Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report found that immigrants at the now-closed Florida detention center, Alligator Alcatraz, were being held in “small metal enclosures,” what facility staff called “calming areas” for anywhere between several minutes to nearly 2 hours. During an unannounced visit in January, the Inspector found that these enclosures were 4 feet 3 inches wide and 7 feet 9 inches tall. The report also found that Alligator Alcatraz did not comply with environmental health and safety standards as individuals in detention were not provided sufficient living space and spent most of their time in their units.
Oversight had largely been left to the state government. Governor Ron DeSantis’ Communications Director said they’d “make [the enclosures] smaller if they could.” The conditions at the facility raise alarms for the other state-run immigration detention centers such as Deportation Depot, a former prison in north Florida. The Inspector General wrote that although Alligator Alcatraz was closed in June of this year, the Deportation Depot has not been inspected.
ICE Surge in Indiana Sparks Calls for Transparency
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week that “Operation Safe Community-Indiana” resulted in 426 arrests statewide during a five-day sweep from August 30 to September 3, with most activity concentrated in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. ICE said those arrested had criminal histories and that some belonged to gangs including MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, though the agency did not specify what share of the 426 people had any criminal record at all. The operation was carried out in coordination with state and local law enforcement and came amid a broader summer surge in ICE enforcement nationally that has drawn less public attention than earlier mass deployments to cities like Minneapolis.
The scale and secrecy of the operation, which unfolded for days before ICE publicly acknowledged it, prompted sustained demands for transparency from Indianapolis officials, faith leaders, and members of Congress. More than 80 faith leaders in Indianapolis publicly criticized city officials for what they called a weak response, demanding guarantees that city resources were not being used to facilitate civil immigration enforcement, wider distribution of “Know Your Rights” materials, and a public hearing where residents could ask questions directly. Clergy also raised concerns about the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s existing agreement to hold ICE detainees for up to 48 hours before many are transferred to the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, and organizers held protests outside ICE’s Indianapolis office in the following weeks.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
S. 5437
A bill to prohibit immigration enforcement actions at children’s playgrounds
Sponsored by Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Connecticut) (0 cosponsors)
09/17/2026 Introduced by Sen. Murphy
09/17/2026 Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
S. 5436
A bill to prohibit immigration enforcement actions at child care facilities
Sponsored by Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Connecticut) (0 cosponsors)
09/17/2026 Introduced by Sen. Murphy
09/17/2026 Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
S. 5435
A bill to prohibit immigration enforcement actions at school bus stops for children
Sponsored by Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Connecticut) (0 cosponsors)
09/17/2026 Introduced by Sen. Murphy
09/17/2026 Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
S. 5413
Red Light Act
The bill would withhold federal highway funds from states that provide driver’s licenses or identification cards to aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States.
Sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) (1 cosponsor)
09/16/2026 Introduced by Sen. Husted
09/16/2026 Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
S.J.Res. 213
A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security relating to “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media”
Sponsored by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Illinois) (13 cosponsors)
09/14/2026 Introduced by Sen. Durbin
09/17/2026 Placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders; Calendar No. 668
H.Res. 1560
Providing for consideration of the Dignity Act (H.R. 4393) to secure the border and reform the immigration laws
Sponsored by Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) (0 cosponsors)
09/17/2026 Introduced by Rep. Escobar
09/17/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Rules
H.R. 10460
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a skills-based immigration points system, to focus family-sponsored immigration on spouses and minor children, to eliminate the Diversity Visa Program, and for other purposes
Sponsored by Rep. David Schweikert (R-Arizona) (0 cosponsors)
09/16/2026 Introduced by Rep. Schweikert
09/16/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 10401
No ICE Deaths in the Dark Act
The bill would require the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out notification, review, reporting, and record-preservation requirements relating to covered deaths involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody
Sponsored by Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Michigan) (23 cosponsors)
09/15/2026 Introduced by Rep. Thanedar
09/15/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.R. 10400
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a skills-based immigration points system, to focus family-sponsored immigration on spouses and minor children, to eliminate the Diversity Visa Program, and for other purposes
Sponsored by Rep. David Schweikert (R-Arizona) (0 cosponsors)
09/15/2026 Introduced by Rep. Schweikert
09/15/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
H.J.Res. 215
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security relating to “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media”
Sponsored by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) (55 cosponsors)
09/14/2026 Introduced by Rep. Jayapal
09/14/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to be in session from Tuesday, September 22, through Friday, September 25. The U.S. House will be in recess until November 9.
UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS
Closed hearings to examine combating and deterring wrongful detentions, focusing on an update on U.S. efforts
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET (Senate Foreign Relations Committee)
Location: 217 Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, D.C.
Witnesses: Dustin Stewart (Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, U.S. Department of State)
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: Recent Administration Policies Will Undermine the H-1B Visa Program
Bill Analysis: Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026
Fact Sheet: Temporary Protected Status
*As of publication (9/18/26 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.