A federal judge has blocked ICE from transferring unaccompanied minors to adult detention once they turn eighteen. The ruling halts a new policy offering twenty-five hundred dollars to minors who agreed to self-deport. Judge Rudolph Contreras said the plan violated a two thousand twenty-one injunction requiring less punitive alternatives for age-outs.

Pope Leo the Fourteenth met with El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, receiving letters from migrants affected by mass deportations. He vowed to stand with immigrants and urged U.S. bishops to speak publicly against “inhuman” immigration policies. The first U.S.-born pope said compassion must extend to those fleeing violence and persecution.

Retired Marine Colonel Daren K. Margolin has been appointed to head the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees U.S. immigration courts. Margolin, dismissed from Marine Base Quantico in twenty thirteen for a firearm violation, previously served as an assistant chief immigration judge. He now inherits a record three point eight million case backlog.

DHS data shows illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are at their lowest since nineteen seventy, with just two hundred thirty-eight thousand recorded this fiscal year. Under Trump, monthly crossings dropped below nine thousand. The White House credits stricter enforcement and troop deployment, while advocates urge Congress to pair border control with long-term immigration reform.

Following the proposed one hundred thousand dollar H-1B visa fee, the Trump administration plans further restrictions by December twenty twenty-five. The new rule would tighten eligibility, limit cap exemptions, and increase oversight of employers and third-party placements, echoing a previous Trump-era rule struck down in court.

Since January twenty twenty-five, more than two million undocumented immigrants have left the U.S. That includes one point six million self-deportations and four hundred thousand removals. Officials credit stricter policies, new detention facilities, and expanded ICE agreements. The administration projects nearly six hundred thousand deportations by year’s end.

The Trump administration rolled out the Gold Card visa, granting green cards in exchange for a one million dollar investment. A two million dollar Corporate Gold Card allows companies to fast track residency for employees, while a five million dollar Platinum Card with tax benefits is awaiting congressional approval. Officials suggest this program could replace EB-1 and EB-2 visas. Critics warn it shifts immigration from skills-based to wealth-based, risking shortages in key fields like technology and healthcare.

On September 19, 2025, the Department of Labor launched Project Firewall to combat H-1B abuse. It allows investigations into wage theft, job misrepresentation, and U.S. worker displacement, with fines, back pay, H-1B bans, and expanded interagency data sharing.

The federal government could soon reopen DACA for new applicants nationwide. If approved, USCIS will accept new and renewal applications, though Texas residents remain barred from work permits. Advocates estimate over one million new applicants, alongside five hundred thirty-three thousand currently enrolled.

On Tuesday, Pope Leo condemned President Trump’s immigration policies as “inhuman,” questioning their consistency with Catholic pro-life values. He highlighted contradictions between opposing abortion and mistreating immigrants. Since his election in May, Leo avoided politics but broke silence on immigration.

Starting fiscal year twenty twenty-six, U.S. travel fees increased. I-94 at land borders rose from six to thirty dollars, ESTA went from twenty-one to forty, and EVUS for Chinese travelers now costs thirty. These fees will rise annually with inflation.

After lawmakers failed to pass funding, the government shut down. USCIS remains open since it is fee-funded, so green cards, naturalization, and work permits continue. But Department of Labor filings pause, E-Verify goes offline, and immigration courts face delays.