Plain-English perspective on immigration law and policy — written to inform, not alarm. General information, not legal advice.
The acting president — who signed the 2017 law — has asked the Assembly to remove its criminal provisions. No text, no vote yet. What it means for a pending asylum case, in both directions.
Read → September 2026 · Precedent DecisionThe Board held an immigration judge may pretermit asylum and withholding for failure to state a claim without any DHS motion. The written application is now the case at the threshold.
Read → September 2026 · Country ConditionsDiosdado Cabello told state television that Venezuelan asylum claims in the U.S. were fake and under investigation. What he actually said, what it is not, and what the record shows about people who return.
Read → September 2026 · DeadlineUSCIS states that TPS-related work permits, Forms I-797 and Forms I-94 carrying an October 2, 2026 expiration stay valid until that date. What ends, what does not, and what to look at first.
Read → September 2026 · Precedent DecisionThe Board overruled Matter of G-Y-R- and held DHS may mail a Notice to Appear to the most recent address a person gave the agency — even one given before the NTA existed.
Read → September 2026 · Policy UpdateUSCIS reorganized how it identifies naturalization-revocation referrals. Referral is not revocation, and two widely repeated claims about the alert are not in it.
Read → September 2026 · Precedent DecisionThe Board overruled Matter of Kanga. An aggravated felony conviction now makes a person inadmissible under INA 212(a)(8)(A) — but only where the plea or verdict came after September 17, 2026.
Read → September 2026 · Precedent DecisionRedacting identifying information is enough to use another applicant’s declaration for comparison, and the declarant need not appear. The R-K-K- safeguards survive intact.
Read → September 2026 · Country ConditionsOn September 16 the UN Fact-Finding Mission reported that Venezuela’s repressive structures remain intact and that Venezuelans who have fled abroad are still in need of international protection. Two weeks earlier the BIA held that Maduro’s removal is a changed country condition. What each document actually says, and a linked guide to the full country-conditions record.
Read → September 2026 · Precedent DecisionOn September 4, the Board of Immigration Appeals held that Maduro’s removal from power is a changed country condition for Venezuelan asylum claims. It vacated a grant and remanded — it did not deny the claim. What the decision requires, what it leaves open, and why the one-year deadline matters too.
Read → September 2026 · Policy UpdateDHS’s rescission of the 2022 public charge rule takes effect Sept. 18, 2026, and USCIS has published the guidance officers will use: a totality-of-the-circumstances test, a broader view of benefits received after that date, the statutory exemptions, and a public charge bond process.
Read → August 2026 · Filing RequirementsNew editions of Form I-765 and Form I-539 take effect Sept. 15, and Form I-485 on Sept. 18. USCIS says there is no grace period — and the cutoff runs both ways: old editions are rejected on or after the date, and the new editions are rejected before it.
Read → August 2026 · Precedent DecisionOn August 13, 2026, the Board overruled Matter of Arrabally and held that leaving the U.S. on advance parole is a “departure” that can trigger the three- or ten-year unlawful presence bar. The holding applies going forward — which means it applies to travel being planned right now.
Read → August 2026 · Precedent DecisionAsylum applicants owe a fee every year their case stays pending, and the BIA has held that missing the deadline can pretermit the application. The fee cannot be waived. But the decision expressly does not reach withholding of removal or CAT protection.
Read → August 2026 · Policy UpdateEffective August 5, 2026, officers have full discretion to deny without issuing an RFE or NOID — and it applies to cases already pending. Twelve weeks is now a maximum response window rather than the standard, and the extra 14 days for notices mailed abroad has been removed.
Read → August 2026 · Federal Court DecisionOn August 21, 2026, a federal court set aside the State Department policy that suspended immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries. But it was a partial ruling the government partly won, it does not touch the separate 39-country travel ban, and days later State paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide. What changed, and what has not.
Read → August 2026 · Policy DevelopmentThe State Department has confirmed on the record that it intends to revoke B-1 and B-2 visas held by people who sought asylum — but no policy has been published. What a revocation actually does under 8 U.S.C. § 1201(i), why it is a freestanding ground of deportability, and why applying for asylum does not depend on holding a valid visa.
Read → August 2026 · Interim Final RuleEffective July 28, 2026 (91 FR 47101), asylum officers may refer certain affirmative asylum applications to EOIR based on the written record alone — no interview first. USCIS still interviews before granting or denying, a referral is not a final decision, and complete filings now matter more than ever. Comments open through September 28.
Read → July 2026 · Final RulePublished July 20, 2026 (91 FR 45324), the final rule removes the 2022 framework and restores a broad “totality of the circumstances” test effective September 18, 2026. Benefits received before that date are judged under the old standard, and statutory exemptions remain. What changes, what doesn't, and who stays exempt.
Read → July 2026 · Court OrdersUnder court orders after Mullin v. Doe, TPS work authorization now runs to July 24 for Haiti, Syria, Somalia and Yemen; July 27 for Burma; July 30 for Ethiopia and South Sudan. Dates as of July 20 — what they mean and where to check.
Read → June 2026 · Supreme CourtIn Mullin v. Al Otro Lado (6–3), the Court held a person standing in Mexico has not “arrived in the United States” and cannot yet apply for asylum — upholding metering at ports of entry. What the ruling does, and its limits.
Read → July 2026 · Supreme CourtAfter the June 30 ruling upholding birthright citizenship, the President announced a rehearing request. As of July 20, none is on the docket — and the Court hasn't granted one in an argued case since 1965. What it means and what it doesn't change.
Read → June 2026 · New LawS. 2 passed the House 214–212 and was signed June 10, 2026 (Public Law 119-98): about $69.5 billion for ICE, CBP and DHS through 2029. What the law funds, what it changes in practice, and what it does not change.
Read → July 2026 · Rule in EffectAs of July 10, 2026, USCIS may deny — not just reject — applications it accepted that turn out to lack a valid signature, and keep the filing fee. What counts as a valid signature and why it matters more than ever.
Read → July 2026 · GuideWho can sponsor whom, how immediate-relative and preference categories differ, what the priority date means, and what an approved petition does — and does not — do. A plain-English guide to the form where most family immigration begins.
Read → June 2026 · Supreme CourtIn Trump v. Barbara (No. 25-365), the Court ruled 6–3 that children born in the U.S. to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment — rejecting Executive Order 14160. What it held, and practical next steps.
Read → June 2026 · Supreme Court · UpdatedThe arguments that shaped Trump v. Barbara — Executive Order 14160 and the Fourteenth Amendment. Decided June 30, 2026: see the decision explainer above for what the Court held.
Read → June 2026 · Supreme Court · UpdatedIn Mullin v. Doe (with Trump v. Miot), the Court ruled 6–3 that courts generally can't review a TPS termination — so the terminations for Haiti and Syria are no longer paused. What it held, and practical next steps.
Read → June 2026 · Federal CourtThe D.C. Circuit cleared the way for fast-track deportation to apply nationwide to people who can't show two years of continuous U.S. presence. Why proof of time in the U.S. now matters.
Read → June 2026 · Federal CourtA federal judge vacated the 2025 policy allowing ICE civil arrests at and around immigration courthouses, restoring the earlier limits nationwide — including in Miami. What it does, and doesn't.
Read → June 2026 · Proposed RuleA proposed rule would raise the N-400 citizenship fee roughly 75–80% and eliminate fee waivers. It is not final — comments are due August 24, 2026.
Read → June 2026 · Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court's June 23, 2026 decision (6–3) makes it easier to treat a returning lawful permanent resident with a criminal issue as an applicant for admission. What it held, what it left open, and why it matters before travel.
Read → June 2026 · BIA DecisionA new BIA precedent holds that a pending family petition (I-130) does not, by itself, keep an asylum application open against a motion to pretermit. A plain-English explainer.
Read → June 2026 · Proposed RuleICE has proposed raising the fee for certain people ordered removed in absentia from $5,130 to $18,000. What the proposed rule says — and what it doesn't. (Public comment closes June 22, 2026.)
Read → June 2026 · Green CardsA plain-English overview of how people get a green card — the main paths, adjustment of status vs. consular processing, and why timing varies so much.
Read → June 2026 · Immigration CourtImmigration court is run by EOIR, not USCIS. A plain-English guide to the Notice to Appear, master calendar vs. individual hearings, and why appearing matters.
Read → June 2026 · EnforcementFlorida leads the nation in 287(g) agreements that let local police assist ICE. What recent government data shows, what the program is, and what it means in practice.
Read → June 2026 · Legislation · UpdatedA neutral, plain-English breakdown of what the Senate-passed reconciliation bill would fund for ICE, CBP, and immigration enforcement — and what happens next.
Read → June 2026 · Court RulingA federal court has set aside four USCIS policies that paused adjudications for nationals of 39 countries. What the Dorcas v. USCIS ruling says — and what it doesn't change.
Read → June 2026 · Policy UpdateA new USCIS memo (PM-602-0199) reaffirms that adjusting status to a green card is discretionary — and that being eligible is no longer enough on its own. Here's what it actually says, and what the headlines got wrong.
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