ProPublica: “We found that more than 170 US Citizens have been held by immigration agents. They’ve been kicked, dragged, and detained for days.”
On October 16, 2025, ProPublica reported that more than 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration agents since the beginning of the second Trump Administration. The article notes that the U.S. government does not keep track of the number of U.S. citizens who are arrested or detained by immigration agents, so ProPublica started its own count by conducting research in lawsuits, court records, local media, and social media. ProPublica notes that a separate 130 U.S. citizens have been arrested for allegedly interfering in immigration enforcement actions or for assaulting agents.
The 170 detained U.S. citizens in ProPublica’s reporting include 20 children, two of whom had cancer, and three pregnant women, one of whom “had already had the door of her home blown off while [DHS] Secretary Kristi Noem watched.
Read ProPublica’s article here.
ICE's Operation “Freaky Friday” targets unaccompanied minors
On Friday, October 3, 2025, ICE launched Operation “Freaky Friday” which targets unaccompanied minors aged fourteen years old and older. Initial reports received by the American Immigration Lawyers Association confirmed that, under the operation:
Children detained and released will be sent a “threat” letter from ICE threatening indefinite detention and immediate transfer to ICE upon age-out if they do not waive jurisdiction under the TVPRA and withdraw applications for relief, including withdrawing their request for admission with EOIR.
Children will be offered $2,500 to return to their countries of origin.
If children do not comply with the “offer”, the letter indicates their parents/family living in the US will be arrested.
ICE plans to detain all age-outs, and they anticipate legal challenges.
It is possible that the age threshold for this threat letter may be lowered to youth 10 years old and older.
ICE will first target detained children but will also target children released from custody.
AILA Texas Chapter. View the alert shared by AILA here.
DHS Proposes Rule Requiring More Extensive Biometric Collection
On November 3, 2025, DHS published a Proposed Rule that will substantially expand biometrics collection and use by DHS. Under the Proposed Rule, DHS seeks to require biometric submission “by any individual, regardless of age, filing or associated with an immigration benefit request, other request, or collection of information, unless exempted.” The Proposed Rule also aims to:
Expand biometrics collection authority when a noncitizen is arrested;
Define the term “biometrics;”
Codify requirements for reusing biometrics;
Codify and expand DNA testing, use, and storage;
Establish an “extraordinary circumstances” standard to excuse failures to appear at a biometrics appointment;
Modify how VAWA self-petitioners and T nonimmigrant applicants demonstrate good moral character; and
Clarify the purposes for biometrics collection.
Read the Proposed Rule here, which will be published on November 3, 2025.
American Medical Association Urges DHS to Exempt Physicians from $100,000 H-1B visa fee
In a September 25, 2025, letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the American Medical Association and 53 medical societies urged DHS to exempt physicians from the new $100,000 payment requirement for certain H-1B petitions. The letter reasons that the United States relies heavily upon foreign physicians for healthcare, especially in Medically Underserved Areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas, which frequently overlap with rural areas. Many physicians working in these areas rely on the H-1B program to maintain their status and employment authorization, and the limited resources available to these communities makes it highly unlikely that that the communities can afford the $100,000 payment.
Read the AMA’s letter here.
The New York Times: International Student Arrivals to U.S. Drop Nearly 20% in 2025
An October 6, 2025 article from The New York Times reported that “the number of international students arriving in the U.S. in August fell by 19% this year compared to last year – the largest decline on record outside of the pandemic.” The Times’s reporting is based on federal arrival records for international student visitors, and SEVIS data shows similar declines. The New York Times predicts that the decline is likely caused by a variety of factors, including visa delays, travel bans, increased student uncertainty in the US being a “welcoming or reliable option for study,” and less overall international student travel.
Read The New York Times article here.
District Court Rules that International Students Have the Same Free Speech Protections as American Citizens
On September 30, 2025, a U.S. district court in Massachusetts held that international students have the same free speech protections as American citizens and that the Trump Administration violated the rights of international students and faculty when it targeted them for arrest and deportation due to their pro-Palestinian political speech.
View the announcement from AILA and the court decision here.
American Immigration Council: Understanding ICE Raids at American Workplaces
Last month, the American Immigration Council (“AIC”) published a detailed fact sheet on understanding ICE raids at American workplaces. This factsheet includes a history of worksite raids, explains the agencies involved and the legal sources they use to conduct raids, reviews legal challenges to worksite raids, and summarizes the raids’ economic and humanitarian consequences.
View and download the AIC factsheet here.
Visa Bulletin Update
The Department of State publishes a monthly Visa Bulletin which operates as the “waiting list” for green cards (immigrant visas), with an individual’s Priority Date serving as their place in line. The Bulletin identifies all immigrant visa “preference” categories and indicates whether a backlog exists for that category. When a backlog exists, an individual in that category may not apply for a green card (or “adjust status”) until their Priority Date becomes “current.” A priority date is current when it is earlier than the date listed in the Visa Bulletin. The Bulletin lists family-based preference categories and employment-based preferences. Each of these areas is then further separated into two charts, Final Action Dates chart and the Dates for Filing chart. The Final Action Dates chart indicates whether an individual can expect USCIS to make a decision on their application soon, whereas the Dates for Filing chart, if USCIS chooses to use it that month, indicates whether an individual may file their adjustment application and receive the benefits associated with having a green card application pending with USCIS.
In November 2025, USCIS will be using the Dates for Filing chart for both employment- and family-based preference categories.
The EB-2 and EB-3 preference categories remain backlogged for all countries, and there are no changes from last month’s Visa Bulletin. See the November Visa Bulletin here.
If you have questions about planning, please schedule a consultation with one of the attorneys at Iandoli, Desai & Cronin (info@iandoli.com).
DHS Releases Interim Final Rule Removing Automatic Extension of EADs
On October 30, 2025, DHS released an Interim Final Rule that will eliminate the 540-day automatic extension of Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) for noncitizens in certain employment authorization categories who timely filed applications to extend their work authorization. This new rule does not affect EADS that were automatically extended prior to October 30, 2025. The rule also does not apply to F-1 STEM OPT students, as the automatic extension of STEM OPT-based employment authorization is based on a different regulation that is not altered by this Interim Final Rule.
DHS will accept comments on this Interim Final Rule until December 1, 2025. If you wish to comment, please go to the Federal Register website here.
Read the announcement from USCIS here.
E-Verify is Operational During the Government Shutdown
On October 9, 2025, USCIS announced that E-Verify was once again operational after being suspended due to the government shutdown. The E-Verify website states that employers should still use an employee’s actual hire date and not the date of data entry when entering a new hire into the E-Verify system. The E-Verify system will then prompt employers to enter a reason for a delay in entry, to which employers should select “E-Verify not available” from the drop-down menu. The E-Verify website confirms that entry delays caused by E-Verify's unavailability due to the government shutdown will not count towards the three business days employers usually have to enter new hires into E-Verify.
See the E-Verify announcement for more information.