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Welcome to Immigration Daybook's second edition. Please share widely and let us know what you think during our August pilot. Produced in part with AI; all mistakes are my own. —David
Spotlight turns to children
The Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $150 million contract to Houston-based Burke Law Group to represent children who arrived in the United States without a parent or guardian. The small firm has ties to the Trump administration and little immigration-law experience, the Associated Press reported. Legal-aid groups that have long represented these children warned that disruption in representation could leave them more exposed to deportation. Associated Press
A federal complaint alleges the administration is accelerating the removal of unaccompanied children even when their claims for protection remain pending. The lawsuit, filed for a Pittsburgh service organization and six children, says procedural changes are being used to repatriate children to places where they escaped danger or harm. Those claims have not yet been adjudicated. The Guardian, filed complaint (July 29) Court removes stay on ending Temporary Protected Status, but allows lawsuit to move forward
An Aug. 5 order confirmed that the district court's earlier injunction against ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians was no longer in effect. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes acted after the Supreme Court's June ruling and an Aug. 4 appellate mandate. But the underlying lawsuit continues: Reyes denied the government's request to halt discovery and ordered the parties to propose a new schedule. CNN, Bloomberg Law, federal court order
UpcomingNext four weeks
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DHS wants to raise the cost of applying for US citizenship (Form N-400) from $760 to $1,330 on paper, and $710 to $1,280 online, with the appeal of a denial (Form N-336) going from $830 to $1,475. Reduced fees and fee waivers for naturalisation would end. Anyone can comment for 60 days once the proposed rule is published.
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Adults who want to take custody of an immigrant child who arrived without a parent or guardian would have to show more documents — proof of identity, proof of income, and information for background checks — before the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) releases the child to them. Comments on the proposed rule are open until August 25, 2026.
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The comment deadline closes on the DHS rule requiring foreign nationals in the US to register with the government and give fingerprints (Form G-325R). DHS is asking whether more immigration filings should count as registration on their own, and whether to change biometrics rules for some travelers; further rulemaking may follow.
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DHS is expected to publish a proposed rule on getting a green card by investing in a US business (EB-5). It would change how Regional Centers — entities approved to pool investor money into projects — are designated and terminated, how long money must stay invested, USCIS audit powers, protections for good-faith investors, and automatic revocation of petitions.
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Employers using the extra H-2B visas Congress allows for seasonal, non-farm jobs must file a sworn statement (attestation) that they meet the added conditions. The Labor Department is asking the White House budget office (OMB) to renew that collection — the requirement itself is not changing — and comments are open until August 31, 2026.
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Missing something, or spotted an error? Reply to this email — corrections run at the foot of the next issue. States and localities clash with Washington
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed the PROTECT Act, limiting local cooperation with immigration agencies and barring ICE from schools, hospitals, and courthouses. Supporters call it one of the nation's strongest such measures, aimed at ensuring immigrants feel safe using public services without fear of arrest. GBH, Christian Science Monitor
Federal authorities began warning elected county sheriffs they could face prosecution for refusing immigration agents extensive access to jail inmates facing deportation. The letters mark an escalation in Washington's pressure on local officials who limit cooperation. The New York Times
A California judge held the Department of Homeland Security in contempt for slow-rolling an order to copy the cellphone communications of agents in last year's Los Angeles sweeps. The judge imposed a $500-per-day fine; attorneys argue the phones may hold evidence of racial profiling in the Operation At Large crackdown. CalMatters
Governments and activists are also fighting over where detention centers can be built.
Indiana's attorney general sued Merrillville for opposing a detention facility under a state law barring localities from restricting federal immigration enforcement. Telemundo Chicago
Bay Area officials are weighing zoning moratoria to block a proposed detention facility. Telemundo 48 (Bay Area)
The federal government agreed to buy a long-shuttered 1,600-bed private prison in Appleton, Minnesota, for immigration detention. The Star Tribune reported the sale and its local tax implications; Minnesota Women's Press published an activist statement opposing the facility's reopening. Star Tribune, Minnesota Women's Press
Around the system
- People held in two California immigration detention centers are using a Spanish-language self-help packet to file their own habeas petitions when they cannot obtain lawyers. The administration is separately trying to restrict that route for challenging detention. EL PAÍS English, Immigrant Defenders Law Center's English and Spanish habeas guides
- Reports and activist networks point to increased ICE activity in New York City, but neither federal nor city officials confirmed a coordinated citywide surge. Documented found that the lack of official federal data left the scale of recent activity and arrests unclear. Documented
- A federal judge temporarily blocked Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita from enforcing a broad civil investigative demand against Exodus Refugee Immigration. The Aug. 5 order found Exodus had shown a strong likelihood of success in its retaliation case. ACLU of Indiana, federal court order
- The Trump administration is using its control over immigration courts to fire judges and press the system toward faster deportations and more asylum denials, former judges told Borderless. Immigration judges are Justice Department employees rather than members of an independent judiciary. Borderless Magazine
In case you missed it
The federal-local enforcement network continues to expand. More than a quarter of all 287(g) agreements were signed since April, according to a Recovered Factory analysis.
Expansion of the 287(g) network. Use it for free.
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