Immigration news, explained
One story at a time, in plain words: what changed, the primary source, what it means for a family, and who helps near you.
A Houston immigration attorney was indicted over cases clients thought were filed. What the DOJ says
On September 9, 2026, federal prosecutors in Houston announced mail fraud and false statements charges against an immigration attorney accused of taking payments for applications she allegedly never filed. Here is what the Justice Department release says, what it does not say, and what USCIS’s own pages say about receipt numbers and who may represent you.
DACA and immigration court: what the Board's Santiago-Santiago decision actually says
On April 24, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that a judge cannot close a removal case for the sole reason that the person has DACA. Here is what the decision held, and what it did not take away.
The $70 billion Secure America Act is law: what the text actually pays for
In June the Senate passed about $70 billion for ICE and Border Patrol. The House passed it too, and it was signed on June 10, 2026, as Public Law 119-98. Here is what the law's own text funds, and what it does not change.
Deportation to a third country: what the appeals court ruled, and what the Supreme Court did next
On September 18, 2026, a federal appeals court largely upheld a ruling against DHS's policy for removing people to countries not named in their removal orders. On September 29, the Supreme Court paused that ruling and agreed to hear the case on December 9. Here is what the court papers say.
Proving a child born abroad is a U.S. citizen: what USCIS's rules say, and where DNA comes in
A short on this channel was about a boy whose lawyer said he was a U.S. citizen while the government said the proof was not enough. Since then, on August 5, 2026, USCIS changed its guidance on when officers suggest DNA testing. Here is what USCIS's own documents say about proving a child born abroad is a citizen, and what they do not say.
ICE body cameras: a federal watchdog asked for automatic recording, and DHS said no
A Government Accountability Office report made public on October 14, 2026 recommended that ICE add controls such as cameras that turn on by themselves. DHS agreed with six of GAO's seven recommendations, but not that one. Here is what the report says and what it does not mean.
Supreme Court to decide whether ICE can hold people without a bond hearing. What is on paper
On October 1, 2026, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha, a case about a 2025 policy that treats people who entered without inspection as subject to mandatory detention. Nothing has been decided yet. Here is what the Court's own docket says, who the case is about, and what it does not mean.
Medicaid changed on October 1 for refugees, asylees and others: what the law and CMS actually say
A section of the July 2025 federal law limits federal Medicaid funding to four groups starting October 1, 2026. Here is who the law names, what CMS told the states to do, and what the change does not touch.
A second federal court blocks the $100,000 H-1B payment: what the September 30 order says
A judge in Northern California set aside the agency policies that collect the $100,000 payment on new H-1B petitions until DHS goes through formal rulemaking. Here is what the order covers, what it leaves open, and why the fight is not over.
USCIS fees for asylum, TPS, parole and work permits change October 16, 2026
A Federal Register notice raises several fees created by H.R. 1 for inflation, by $3 to $30. Here is what goes up, what stays the same, and why the postmark date is the date that counts.
“200 cases in one hearing”: what EOIR’s own manual and tables say about court dockets
An Advocasí short describes a judge working through 200 cases in a single hearing. That number is not in any EOIR document. Here is what the immigration courts’ own manual says a master calendar hearing is, and what EOIR’s July 2026 tables say about pending cases, judges and in absentia orders.
Can a traffic ticket cost you a Green Card? What USCIS’s own documents say
The Form I-485 instructions draw a line at a fine under $500 with no arrest, and the USCIS Policy Manual says officers weigh the whole record with no bright-line test. Here is what both documents say, in their own words.
ICE at airports: what the law and the agencies' own pages say about who can stop you where
A July short asked whether ICE can detain you at an airport. We found no agency page describing an airport program, so here is what the statute, the regulation, CBP's own page and a June court ruling actually say, and where each one applies.
Your phone at the border: what CBP's own rules say an officer can and cannot do
CBP has a written policy for searching phones and laptops at ports of entry, and it publishes how often it happens. Here is what the directive and CBP's own page say, in plain language, and what they leave unanswered.
Your visa expired. That is not the same as your permission to stay. What the I-94 is for
The State Department says a visa “is not the same as immigration status” and that its expiration date “has no bearing” on how long someone may stay. The date that matters for that is on the I-94, kept by CBP. Here is what each agency says, and what it does not.
What the two August 6 orders on citizenship say, and what a court has blocked
One order names categories of children it says are outside birthright citizenship; the other is about visas and “birth tourism.” A Maryland court blocked the first for a certified class on September 2. Here is what each document says, in its own words.
What the rules say about DNA collection from people in ICE and CBP custody
A short circulating this month says ICE collected close to a million DNA profiles in a year. That number comes from a university research center, not from a government page. Here is what the federal rule, DHS’s own privacy assessment and the GAO actually say.
The “public charge” rule changed on September 18: what DHS and USCIS actually wrote
A DHS final rule published July 20, 2026 rescinded the 2022 public charge regulations and took effect September 18. USCIS followed with new Policy Manual guidance and a new edition of Form I-485. Here is what the documents say, what they date, and what they leave open.
Can USCIS see your messages? What its own documents say about social media review
Two of our shorts asked whether USCIS can read your messages. The answer is in a Federal Register notice, two USCIS announcements and a DHS privacy assessment, and it is narrower than the rumor: public content, not private messages.
Where TPS stands in September 2026: El Salvador, Somalia and the work-permit fight
El Salvador’s TPS was set to run through September 9, 2026. That date has passed, USCIS says protection continues until an announcement, and the Supreme Court has changed what courts can do about terminations. Here is the map, country by country, from the government’s own pages and the court record.
What the new USCIS rule on asylum referrals without an interview actually says
Since July 28, 2026, an asylum officer may send certain affirmative asylum applications to an immigration judge based on the file alone, with no interview first. USCIS says it still interviews before granting or denying asylum; here is what the rule covers and what it leaves open.
What USCIS’s green card memo says about workers on “dual intent” visas
The May 2026 memo that made headlines for “extraordinary circumstances” also has a passage about visa categories with “dual intent.” Here is what it says, in USCIS’s own words, and what it leaves open.
Why some USCIS cases stopped moving, and what two court orders changed
Two USCIS memos from December and January put every pending asylum application, and other pending cases from people of 39 countries, on hold. A Rhode Island court vacated them in June; a California court enjoined them again on August 24. Here is what the agency itself said on August 28.
Form I-765 no longer carries a Social Security number request. What USCIS's own form shows
Since 2017, the work-permit application let you ask for a Social Security number in the same filing. The edition USCIS posts today does not. Here is what the form and the USCIS page say, and what they leave unsaid.
DACA did not disappear. Here is where it actually stands
USCIS is still accepting and processing DACA renewals and work permits. It accepts first-time requests but does not decide them. Here is what the agency and the Fifth Circuit have actually said, and what is still unresolved.
“Sanctuary cities”: what is actually on paper right now, and what is only talk
An executive order, a Justice Department list, a bill in committee and a new legal opinion on welfare funds. Here is what each document says, who it is aimed at, and what none of them say about you.
Three things USCIS says can delay or end a case: your address, its notices, its appointments
An old address, an unopened notice and a missed appointment are not new rules. They are standing USCIS guidance, and the agency's own pages describe consequences that go beyond a delay. Here is what those pages say.
Immigration enforcement by the numbers: what ICE, CBP and DHS published this summer
Arrests, detention, removals and border crossings are being quoted everywhere, often without a source. Here are the figures the agencies themselves posted between July and early September 2026, what each one counts, and what none of them says about any individual case.
The Supreme Court and immigration judges' speech: what the May 26 ruling actually decided
A short, unsigned opinion sent the immigration judges' free-speech case back to a lower court on a procedural point. Here is what the Court said, what it did not rule on, and why nothing changes for anyone with a case in immigration court.
ICE officer indicted over his account of a Minneapolis shooting: what the DOJ release says
A federal grand jury charged an ICE deportation officer with six counts of making false statements to the FBI about a January shooting during an immigration stop. Here is what the U.S. Attorney's Office actually said, and what the case does and does not mean.
Your Green Card expired. Your status didn’t. What to do next
The plastic card and permanent resident status are two different things. Here is how USCIS handles an expired 10-year card, what the receipt notice does, and the one case where this does not apply.
USCIS says it will approve adjustment of status only in “extraordinary circumstances.” What that means
A policy memo from May 2026 changed how USCIS treats green card applications filed from inside the United States. Here is what the agency actually said, who it affects, and who can help you understand your own situation.
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