Top Immigration Official Defends “Anti‑American” Screening in Green Card Process

Top Immigration Official Defends “Anti‑American” Screening in Green Card Process

By: Mary Campbell In an exclusive interview, Joseph Edlow, newly confirmed Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has defended a controversial immigration policy shift allowing immigration officers to weigh applicants’ personal views—specifically whether they espouse “anti‑American” ideologies—as part of green card and visa evaluations. What This Change Entails Edlow emphasized that the policy […]

Learning in the Shadows: How Immigration Enforcement Harms Students and Schools

Learning in the Shadows: How Immigration Enforcement Harms Students and Schools

By: Micaela McConnell and Steven Hubbard| americanimmigrationcouncil.org As students across the United States are returning to the classroom this fall, the lasting and deeply damaging effects of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda loom over schools. As the administration aggressively pursues its immigration enforcement agenda, it is creating a crisis in the nation’s education system—one […]

Why the Justice Department is Wrong About Sanctuary Cities

Why the Justice Department is Wrong About Sanctuary Cities

By: Juan Avilez | americanimmigrationcouncil.org |Editorial credit: eddie-hernandez.com / Shutterstock.com The Department of Justice (DOJ) published a list of “sanctuary” jurisdictions on August 5 as a follow up to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in April. Listing cities, counties, and states, the DOJ contends that these localities impede federal immigration enforcement through alleged “sanctuary jurisdiction characteristics.” These […]

USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds

USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has implemented a new way to pay fees using electronic debit from a U.S. bank account. Effective immediately, individuals can make transactions directly to USCIS by completing and signing Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions, and filing it with their applications, petitions, or requests. The move aligns with Executive Order 14247, […]

Attorney General James Files Brief Opposing ICE Courthouse Arrests

Attorney General James Files Brief Opposing ICE Courthouse Arrests

Editorial credit: Steve Edreff / Shutterstock.com NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today took action to stop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) alarming practice of making arrests in federal immigration courthouses. In an amicus brief filed in African Communities Together v. Lyons, Attorney General James urged the U.S. District Court for the Southern […]

Denaturalization and the Administration’s Targeting of U.S. Citizens

Denaturalization and the Administration’s Targeting of U.S. Citizens

In July 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) elevated denaturalization to a top enforcement priority, marking a dramatic shift in how the federal government approaches U.S. citizenship. While the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) has long authorized revocation of naturalization, historically such cases were rare and confined to extraordinary circumstances—such as involvement in genocide or […]

USCIS to Consider Anti-Americanism in Immigrant Benefit Requests

USCIS to Consider Anti-Americanism in Immigrant Benefit Requests

Editorial credit: Evgenia Parajanian / Shutterstock.com WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding the factors that officers consider in certain benefit requests where an exercise of discretion is required, including factors relating to aliens’ past requests for parole and any involvement in anti-American or terrorist organizations, […]

White House Plans Major Shift in Refugee Priorities

White House Plans Major Shift in Refugee Priorities

By: Mary Campbell The White House is reportedly preparing to cap the U.S. refugee admissions at 40,000 for fiscal year 2026, with a striking three‑quarters of these slots—approximately 30,000 places—earmarked specifically for white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners. This represents not only a sharp reduction from the 100,000 refugees admitted under the Biden administration in fiscal […]

U.S. Citizenship Applicants Face Heightened ‘Good Moral Character’ Scrutiny

U.S. Citizenship Applicants Face Heightened ‘Good Moral Character’ Scrutiny

By: Mary Campbell U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially intensified its evaluation of the ‘good moral character’ (GMC) standard for lawful permanent residents applying for U.S. citizenship. Under this revised policy, applicants must now substantiate not only the absence of disqualifying behavior, but also demonstrate active, positive contributions to their communities. Expanded GMC […]