Legislative Bulletin

 

 

Good afternoon, 

Welcome to the Forum's legislative bulletin. Our policy team rounds up key developments around immigration policy in Washington, D.C., and across the country. The bulletin includes items on the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as some coverage at the state and local levels.  

For the month of August, we will be publishing on a bi-weekly schedule on Thursdays. The next bulletin will be published on August 7. 

You can find the online version of the bulletin here: [link removed] [link removed] 

With hope, 

Nicci 

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**LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN — Thursday, July 31, 2025**

**DEVELOPMENTS IN IMMIGRATION POLICY THIS WEEK** Here, we summarize some of the most important recent developments in immigration policy on the federal, legal, state, and local levels.  

****Federal** **

******GPS Ankle Monitors Become Default for Immigrants in ICE Supervision Program**** ** Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has directed [link removed] field personnel to place GPS ankle monitors [link removed] on participants in its Alternatives to Detention (AtD) program “whenever possible.” An internal memo dated June 9, from acting assistant director Dawnisha Helland, instructed agents to “escalate their supervision level to GPS ankle monitors...and increase reporting requirements” for individuals not being arrested. Previously, the vast majority of the AtD program's roughly 183,000 participants used just the Smartlink mobile app, which requires facial recognition and GPS check-ins.  

Only about 13% of participants currently wear ankle monitors, and it has been the only immigrant-monitoring technology to grow in use under the second Trump administration. The new directive reverses the practice of reducing supervision levels for compliant participants and instead mandates increased surveillance regardless of compliance history. Immigration lawyers note [link removed] that 83% of non-detained immigrants attended all hearings from 2008 to 2019. Observers warn [link removed] ankle bracelets stigmatize immigrants who have not committed crimes and that the devices can cause physical harm. 

******USCIS Issues Implementation Guidance for Birthright Citizenship Executive Order**** ** U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released [link removed] implementation guidance on July 25 outlining how federal agencies would enforce President Trump's executive order (EO) revoking birthright citizenship [link removed] multiple federal courts blocking the policy’s implementation nationwide. The guidance states that “the government is preparing to implement the EO in the event that it is permitted to go into effect.” It defines which classes of immigrant children would be affected, specifying that automatic citizenship would be limited to children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. Children of parents who are unlawfully present or in the U.S. on temporary status, including parolees, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and deferred action recipients, would be excluded from birthright citizenship. However, the agency determined that children of asylees, conditional permanent residents, and refugees would not fall under the temporary category.  

Guidance documents from multiple federal agencies further detailed [link removed] significant changes  in how parents would obtain basic documents for their newborns. The State Department would require “original proof of parental citizenship or immigration status” for passport applications, while the Social Security Administration specified that birth certificates showing U.S. birth would no longer be sufficient evidence of citizenship for children born after the order takes effect. Parents would also need to provide additional documentation proving their own immigration status before obtaining Social Security numbers for their children, potentially disrupting the current hospital birth registration process. Responding to the guidance, immigration advocates emphasized [link removed] that “expecting parents should know their babies remain protected.” Litigation over the legality of birthright citizenship itself remains ongoing, as the Supreme Court declined [link removed] to directly address the issue. 

******Administration Authorizes National Guard to Assist at Immigration Detention Facilities**** ** The Trump administration has authorized [link removed] the deployment of National Guard units to immigration detention facilities in 20 Republican-governed states to assist with processing and administrative tasks, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo obtained by The New York Times. Unlike previous military support that maintained distance from immigration enforcement, National Guard troops will have “direct interaction with individuals in ICE custody” and be directed by ICE leadership. According to the memo, National Guard personnel will handle administrative and clerical tasks, field office program management, case management, and transportation duties, freeing ICE agents for enforcement operations.  

The Department of Defense had announced [link removed] earlier that National Guard units will replace Marine Corps and Naval Reserve units that had been supporting ICE, with first deployments scheduled for early August. The detention facility deployment is separate from the administration's broader request [link removed] for more than 20,000 National Guard troops to support immigration enforcement operations. Vermont Republican Governor Phil Scott declined [link removed] the Pentagon’s request to deploy Vermont National Guard soldiers for immigration enforcement activities, citing concerns about community disruption. Under federal law, governors retain [link removed] sole authority to approve or deny Title 32 requests for their state's National Guard units, allowing them to conduct law enforcement activities without violating the Posse Comitatus Act. 

******State Department Ends Interview Waivers for Most Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants and Announces Investigation of Harvard’s Use of International Visas**** ** The State Department announced [link removed] on July 25 that it will eliminate interview waivers for most nonimmigrant visa applicants starting September 2. The policy change reverses [link removed] COVID-era flexibility that permitted visa renewals through the  submission of documents by mail, requiring nearly all applicants to schedule in-person interviews at U.S. consulates abroad. The new requirements will affect [link removed] H-1B professionals, L-1 intracompany transferees, and other skilled workers who had previously been eligible for interview waivers when renewing visas in the same classification and will increase wait times for in-person appointments. Limited exceptions remain for certain diplomatic visa categories and cases involving urgent humanitarian circumstances.  

Congressional representatives had cautioned [link removed] Secretary of State Marco Rubio in mid-July that visa processing delays at U.S. consulates could disrupt fall semester enrollment for Indian students at American colleges and universities.The State Department also announced [link removed] an investigation into Harvard University's participation in the Exchange Visitor Program [link removed], which facilitates J-1 visas for international students, researchers, and scholars. In a July 23 letter, Secretary Rubio gave Harvard one week to produce records and said the department plans to interview university staff and may want to speak with visa holders. In June, the State Department began screening [link removed] social media accounts of student visa applicants after a pilot [link removed] program targeting Harvard was rolled out in May.   

******Immigration Enforcement Actions Disrupt Healthcare Workforce****  ** The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement activities are having a disrupting impact on the health care workforce [link removed]. The New York state Association of Health Care Providers asked [link removed] the administration to consider rolling back the loss of parole status for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) [link removed] for Venezuelans as these populations, were working here legally and contributing to the health care sector which is already struggling with workforce shortages.  

The appeal, however, was not limited to New York. In Miami, members of the

**Service Employees International Union** (SEIU) participated [link removed] in a rally at Jackson Memorial Hospital to speak out against the loss of TPS status for some 30 workers and against the Medicaid cuts in the reconciliation package. Similarly, in Boston physicians and medical residents protested [link removed] the end of TPS and the increased limitations for international students, pointing to the devastating impact those actions will have on health care in Massachusetts.  

****Legal** **

******Congressmembers Sue Administration After Being Denied Access to Immigration Detention Facilities**** ** On July 30, a coalition of twelve Democratic lawmakers filed [link removed] a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) challenging new policies [link removed] that restrict congressional access to immigration detention facilities. The suit, led by House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8), argues that DHS violated federal law by implementing a policy requiring lawmakers to provide one week's advance notice before visiting immigration detention facilities. The administration initially required 72 hours’ notice but strengthened restrictions days later, also blocking access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field offices and other non-detention facilities. All twelve plaintiffs report being denied entry to facilities under the new guidelines, asserting [link removed] that “[i]f ICE has nothing to hide, DHS must make its facilities available.”   

The lawsuit cites multiple incidents where lawmakers were turned away from facilities, including Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-9) being blocked [link removed] from the Eloy detention center in Arizona and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO-6) being denied [link removed] entry to the Aurora facility in Colorado that he and his staff had regularly visited since 2019.. Maryland congressional leaders were also refused [link removed] tours of the Baltimore ICE detention facility amid allegations of inhumane conditions. The suit argues the policy violates members of Congress' explicit statutory authority to conduct unannounced visits to facilities operated by or for DHS, which has been re-affirmed each year since 2019 during the appropriations process. Lawmakers contend that advance notice undermines effective oversight, citing a 2020 House Homeland Security report [link removed] that found facilities used warning time to improve conditions. The legal challenge comes as DHS has also closed [link removed] three key oversight offices, leaving more than 600 open civil rights cases in limbo and raising concerns about future enforcement. 

******More Religious Organizations Sue Administration Over Immigration Enforcement Actions at Houses of Worship**** ** Eleven religious organizations filed [link removed] a federal lawsuit on July 28 against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) challenging its January 20 policy memorandum that eliminated protections for immigration enforcement at sensitive locations including houses of worship. The lawsuit alleges the policy violates [link removed] the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, arguing that DHS abandoned three decades [link removed] of precedent that prohibited immigration enforcement activities at religious sites. The organizations report [link removed] sharp declines in attendance and donations as congregation members fear [link removed] detention, with some groups forced [link removed] to meet privately rather than in traditional worship spaces. 

The case represents the latest challenge to the administration's enforcement policy, following mixed judicial outcomes in earlier litigation. On April 11, federal Judge Dabney Friedrich denied [link removed] a preliminary injunction in a similar case involving 27 Christian and Jewish organizations, ruling that churches had not been specifically targeted and congregations had not demonstrated significant harm. However, on February 24, Judge Theodore Chuang granted [link removed] a preliminary injunction protecting specific congregations in Maryland. In the new lawsuit, the religious organizations argue [link removed] that the ongoing fear of enforcement has created tremendous emotional strain on their communities and undermines their ability to provide spiritual refuge to vulnerable populations 

******Federal Judge Dismisses Administration’s Lawsuit Against Illinois Sanctuary Policies**** ** U.S. District Judge Lindsay Jenkins dismissed [link removed] the Trump administration's lawsuit against Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County over their sanctuary policies [link removed] on July 25, ruling that the Justice Department lacked standing to challenge the laws limiting state and local involvement with federal immigration enforcement. In her 64-page decision, the judge wrote [link removed] that granting the administration's request “would allow the federal government to commandeer States under the guise of intergovernmental immunity — the exact type of direct regulation of states barred by the Tenth Amendment.” The case was dismissed without prejudice, allowing [link removed] the administration to revise and refile its complaint by August 22.  

The ruling was heralded as “major blow” against the Trump administration's broader campaign [link removed] against sanctuary jurisdictions, which includes similar pending lawsuits against New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, Rochester, and four New Jersey cities. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the ruling “affirms what we have long known: that Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance is lawful and supports public safety.” 

BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED It’s challenging to keep up with the deluge of proposed legislation in the 119th Congress. So, every week, we round up federal legislative proposals that have recently been introduced and that are relevant to immigration policy. 

**S.2555** [link removed] 

**Student Visa Integrity Act** 

The bill would prohibit international students from certain countries, including China and Iran, from obtaining visas, to study in the U.S. 

Sponsored by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) (0 cosponsors) 

07/30/2025 Introduced by Sen. Tuberville 
07/30/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

**S.2553** [link removed] 

**Protect Our Communities From DUIs Act** 

The bill would create new grounds of inadmissibility and deportability for aliens convicted of or who have committed driving while intoxicated or impaired offenses, regardless of whether the conviction is classified as a misdemeanor or felony. 

Sponsored by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) (7 [link removed] cosponsors) 

07/30/2025 Introduced by Sen. Hagerty 
07/30/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

**S.2547** [link removed] 

**Stop Illegal Entry Act** 

The bill would significantly increase penalties for illegal entry and reentry, raising maximum imprisonment from two years to five years for repeat illegal entry and from two years to 10 years for illegal reentry. It would also establish enhanced penalties of up to life imprisonment for those who illegally enter or reenter and are later convicted of serious crimes. This is the companion bill to H.R. 3486. [link removed] 

Sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (3 [link removed] cosponsors) 

07/30/2025 Introduced by Sen. Cruz 
07/30/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

**S.2526** [link removed] 

**Fight for the American Dream Act** 

The bill would allow participants of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to serve in the United States military and provides them a pathway toward U.S. citizenship after their service.   

Sponsored by Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) (2 [link removed] cosponsors) 

07/29/2025 Introduced by Sen. Gallego 
07/29/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

**S.2502** [link removed] 

**Preventing the Forced Return of Uyghurs Act** 

The bill would deny entry to current or former government officials involved in the forced repatriation of Uyghurs and other designated individuals to China. 

Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) (1 [link removed] cosponsor) 

07/29/2025 Introduced by Sen. Merkley 
07/29/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

**S.Res.341** [link removed] 

**A resolution reaffirming that immigration officers under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security are not authorized to arrest, detain, interrogate, or deport United States citizens and must implement stronger measures to prevent future wrongful enforcement actions against such citizens** 

Sponsored by Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) (0 cosponsors) 

07/29/2025 Introduced by Sen. Gallego 
07/29/2025 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

**S.2468** [link removed] 

**Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929** 

The bill would update the Immigration and Nationality Act's registry provision to provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence for long-term U.S. residents who have maintained continuous presence and have a clean record. 

Sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) (11 [link removed] cosponsors) 

07/28/2025 Introduced by Sen. Padilla 
07/28/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

**H.R.4817** [link removed] 

**To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the annual numerical limitation on visas for certain immigrants, to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant work authorization to certain immigrants with a pending application for nonimmigrant status under such Act, and for other purposes** 

Sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) (1 [link removed] cosponsor) 

07/29/2025 Introduced by Rep. Panetta 
07/29/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary 

**H.R.4783** [link removed] 

**To prohibit Federal funds from being made available to any law enforcement agency that employs an alien as a law enforcement officer, and for other purposes** 

Sponsored by Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL-3) (0 cosponsors) 

07/29/2025 Introduced by Rep. Cammack 
07/29/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary 

LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will be in recess until Tuesday, September 2.  

**GOVERNMENT REPORTS** Reports by bodies such as the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Research Service, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General provide invaluable information on immigration policy and practice. Here, we give brief summaries of new immigration-related reports, with links to the resources themselves in case you want to learn more. 

**Congressional Research Service (CRS);****Immigration Court Legal Access Programs: Terminations and Related Litigation** [link removed]

**; Publicly Released July 28, 2025**  This report examines the Trump administration's termination of Department of Justice immigration legal access programs in April 2025 and the subsequent federal litigation challenging these actions. The report analyzes the legal challenges filed by immigrant rights organizations and the July 6, 2025 federal court ruling that denied injunctive relief and upheld the government's authority to terminate the Legal Orientation Program, Immigration Court Helpdesk, and other programs that provided basic legal information to unrepresented immigrants in detention and court proceedings. 
 

**SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES** The Forum is constantly publishing new policy-focused resources that engage with some of the most topical issues around immigration today. Here are a few that are particularly relevant this week: 

**Undocumented Immigrants Are Integral To Our Nation** [link removed]  This explainer provides an overview specifically of the tax, spending, and labor contributions of the undocumented population and then briefly outlines the potential economic implications of losing these integral contributions. 

**Designating English as the Official Language: Explainer** [link removed]

****  This explainer provides an overview of the Trump administration's executive order to proclaim English as the official language of the U.S. and the order's impact on services for those with limited English proficiency (LEP).   

**Explainer: Immigration Removal Proceedings and Expanded Mandatory Detention in the U.S.** [link removed]    Our resource provides a brief overview of immigration removal proceedings, including how the process typically works for both detained and non-detained individuals. It then examines how a July 8 ICE memo has altered this process by reinterpreting existing laws to eliminate bond hearings for undocumented immigrants who crossed between ports of entry, requiring their detention for the duration of removal proceedings and effectively expanding mandatory detention. 

*As of publication (7/31/25 at 2:30PM EST)

**This Bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive. Please contact Nicci Mattey, Senior Policy & Advocacy Associate at the National Immigration Forum, with questions, comments, and suggestions for additional items to be included. Nicci can be reached at****[email protected]** mailto:[email protected]

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