By: Mary Campbell In an exclusive interview, Joseph Edlow, newly confirmed Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has defended a controversial immigration policy shift allowing immigration officers to weigh applicants’ personal views—specifically whether they espouse “anti‑American” ideologies—as part of green card and visa evaluations. What This Change Entails Edlow emphasized that the policy […]
By: Juan Avilez | americanimmigrationcouncil.org |Editorial credit: eddie-hernandez.com / Shutterstock.com The Department of Justice (DOJ) published a list of “sanctuary” jurisdictions on August 5 as a follow up to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in April. Listing cities, counties, and states, the DOJ contends that these localities impede federal immigration enforcement through alleged “sanctuary jurisdiction characteristics.” These […]
By: Mary Campbell Washington, D.C. — In a development that is set to strain immigration timelines further, the U.S. Department of State has announced a temporary suspension in the issuance of EB‑2 employment‑based green cards through September 30, 2025. The moratorium, which takes effect immediately, is attributable to the exhaustion of the annual visa quota for fiscal […]
Editorial credit: Steve Edreff / Shutterstock.com NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today took action to stop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) alarming practice of making arrests in federal immigration courthouses. In an amicus brief filed in African Communities Together v. Lyons, Attorney General James urged the U.S. District Court for the Southern […]
New form allows payment of filing fees, services via secure direct debit payments WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has implemented a new way to pay fees using electronic debit from a U.S. bank account. Effective immediately, individuals can make transactions directly to USCIS by completing and signing Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions, and filing it […]
In July 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) elevated denaturalization to a top enforcement priority, marking a dramatic shift in how the federal government approaches U.S. citizenship. While the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) has long authorized revocation of naturalization, historically such cases were rare and confined to extraordinary circumstances—such as involvement in genocide or […]
By: Steven Hubbard |americanimmigrationcouncil.org |Editorial credit: Mamun_Sheikh / Shutterstock.com U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has partnered with Palantir Technologies—a Denver-based software company co-founded by billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel—to use artificial intelligence and data mining to identify, track, and deport suspected noncitizens. Palantir is slated to deliver a prototype of the ImmigrationOS platform by September […]
Editorial credit: Evgenia Parajanian / Shutterstock.com WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding the factors that officers consider in certain benefit requests where an exercise of discretion is required, including factors relating to aliens’ past requests for parole and any involvement in anti-American or terrorist organizations, […]
By: Mary Campbell The White House is reportedly preparing to cap the U.S. refugee admissions at 40,000 for fiscal year 2026, with a striking three‑quarters of these slots—approximately 30,000 places—earmarked specifically for white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners. This represents not only a sharp reduction from the 100,000 refugees admitted under the Biden administration in fiscal […]
By: Mary Campbell U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially intensified its evaluation of the ‘good moral character’ (GMC) standard for lawful permanent residents applying for U.S. citizenship. Under this revised policy, applicants must now substantiate not only the absence of disqualifying behavior, but also demonstrate active, positive contributions to their communities. Expanded GMC […]
