Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026
Thanks for reading Immigration Daybook, the response has been great so far. We're taking the day off tomorrow and Mon. August 31 but we're happy to announce we'll continue publishing beyond August. —David
Immigrant-visa appointments paused worldwide
The State Department has temporarily adjusted immigrant-visa appointments around the world while consular officers undergo new training that includes public-charge screening. The department has not announced when regular scheduling will resume. The reporting describes a pause or adjustment to immigrant-visa appointments and interviews; it does not establish that every visa category, every application or visa issuance after a completed interview is affected. Reuters, around the world: El Colombiano (Colombia), Claro Sports (Mexico), Asian Journal (includes information for Filipinos), South China Morning Post (China and Hong Kong)
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Texas court denies Minnesota’s emergency extradition request
A federal judge in Brownsville, Texas, denied Minnesota’s emergency request to compel ICE agent Christian Castro’s extradition or keep him in Cameron County custody beyond the state’s 90-day pre-extradition limit. The ruling said Minnesota’s case was not ripe because Gov. Greg Abbott had not decided whether to issue a rendition warrant; the court found no legal deadline for Abbott’s ongoing investigation. The order does not decide the charges against Castro or prevent Texas from later granting extradition. Associated Press, Texas Tribune, Star Tribune, CourtListener
New York’s limits on ICE cooperation face a court challenge
New York’s Local Cops, Local Crimes Act now bars state and local agencies from maintaining 287(g) agreements or similar arrangements for civil immigration enforcement. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said the county would unwind its ICE agreement while joining a challenge to the law. Gothamist
Rensselaer County said it planned to join a federal lawsuit seeking to strike down the law and preserve its 287(g) agreement. The law does not prevent local law enforcement from assisting ICE with criminal investigations; its restrictions concern civil immigration enforcement. WAMC
Chicago removal orders for unaccompanied children
Six unaccompanied children, ages 12 to 17, received removal orders in a Chicago immigration-court docket. The orders do not by themselves establish that the children were deported. Attorneys, advocates and lawmakers told local reporters that the proceedings raised concerns about whether children could effectively understand and contest what was happening in court. WBEZ, Block Club Chicago
Background: Special Immigrant Juvenile status is a legal pathway for some children who have experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment and whose protections have been in question for years. The Marshall Project
Upcoming
Next four weeks
- Aug. 28, 2026
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.
- Aug. 31, 2026
DHS has proposed rules to carry out the 2022 EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, which governs how people get a green card by investing in a US business and creating 10 jobs (EB-5), including through government-approved Regional Centers that pool investor money. The rule also sets out when petitions are automatically revoked. Comments close August 31, 2026.
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.
- Sept. 9, 2026
Starting September 9, the heaviest users of H-1B and L-1 visas owe a federal fee on every extension petition, not just when they hire someone new or take on another company's worker. The fee — $4,000 per H-1B petition, $4,500 per L-1 — applies to companies with 50 or more U.S. employees when more than half of them are on H-1B or L-1 visas. DHS says its old reading of a 2015 law wrongly let same-employer extensions skip the fee; this rule closes that gap through September 2027.
Protection from deportation for Salvadorans in the US (TPS) is scheduled to end September 9, 2026. DHS's decision on whether to extend it was due July 11 and has not been published; by law, if no termination notice publishes, the designation continues automatically for six months.
- Sept. 15, 2026
International students (F-1), exchange visitors (J) and foreign media staff (I) can currently stay as long as they keep their program going — "duration of status." This final rule replaces that with a fixed end date, and they would have to apply for an extension of stay to remain longer. It is a major rule under congressional review, so DHS may publish a different effective date.
- Sept. 18, 2026
People applying for a green card or for admission to the US will face a broader public charge test — whether an officer thinks they are likely to become dependent on government support. DHS is scrapping the 2022 rule that narrowed what officers could weigh, and applies the change to applications filed on or after the effective date.
- Sept. 24, 2026
DHS proposes a $103,265 fee for cap-subject H-1B petitions, including advanced-degree-exemption petitions, in addition to other fees. Comments close September 24.
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Around the system
Federal authorities deported former Venezuelan military colonel Rafael José Quero Silva from South Florida to Venezuela after a DOJ immigration judge issued a removal order. U.S. officials said he had participated in the detention and torture of political dissidents during the Maduro government. WLRN
Kansas dairy production has expanded rapidly with immigrant workers central to that growth, KCUR’s Kansas City Today reported. The audio report examines the rural labor force behind one of the country’s fastest-growing dairy industries. KCUR
Migrant mothers protested outside ICE’s Baltimore office to demand removal of electronic ankle monitors. In this Spanish-language local video report, participants said the devices had brought stigma and interfered with work. Univision
A Kansas City woman is seeking to return after she was deported despite what she and her advocates describe as protection for crime victims. KCUR reports that Norma Zavala Levia’s case is now being pursued from outside the United States. KCUR