USCIS has been granted expanded law enforcement powers under a new DHS rule issued on September 4, 2025. With this change, newly designated USCIS special agents will now be authorized to carry firearms, make arrests, execute search and arrest warrants, and fully handle immigration-related investigations.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Venezuela that was created in 2021. After reviewing current conditions in Venezuela, DHS determined the country no longer qualifies for TPS.

This decision takes effect on November 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m., which is 60 days after the official notice was published.

The U.S. Department of Justice has dismissed another San Francisco immigration judge, bringing the total to six since Donald Trump became president. Observers note a trend of removing judges who are more likely to grant asylum or have backgrounds in immigrant defense.

A group of over 30 Democratic and independent senators are pressing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to explain the government’s stance on people in the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).

DACA, started in 2012, protects certain immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children before 2007 from deportation.

A federal appeals court has overturned a state-led border enforcement program that allowed state law enforcement agencies to detain and arrest illegal immigrants independently of federal immigration authorities. The court ruled that the program was in opposition to federal immigration law, which grants the federal government exclusive jurisdiction over immigration enforcement.

Reacting to accounts of widespread labor abuses against migrant workers in the agricultural and construction sectors, federal labor officials have announced new enforcement measures to increase workplace protections. The initiative includes increased inspections, harsher penalties for employers who exploit undocumented workers, and wider protections for whistleblowers who report labor abuses.

A federal court has issued an injunction stopping the government from going ahead with a plan to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants on the grounds of potential violations of due process and protection against asylum abuses. The ruling by the judge follows civil rights organizations and immigrant rights groups filing suits alleging the plan for rapid deportations overlooked adequate legal scrutiny for the victims.

A federal government-run immigration detention facility is under investigation by the federal government following allegations of civil rights violations including deplorable living conditions, excessive force, and inadequate medical care. The investigation was initiated by the Department of Justice following multiple complaints by detainees, legal rights organizations, and former staff at the facility.

A federal court has reversed a state statute that sought to deny illegal immigrants emergency medical treatment funded by public programs. The court ruled the statute against federal healthcare policy and constitutional protections, stating that emergency medical treatment should be available to all individuals regardless of their immigration status.

A coalition of civil rights organizations brought suit to challenge the constitutionality of state-run immigration checkpoints, claiming they encourage racial profiling and infringe on constitutional protections against unreasonable searches. The lawsuit claims that state law enforcement officers have been stopping and questioning individuals based on appearance rather than reasonable suspicion of an immigration violation.