Want to keep up with newcomer policy updates in the U.S.? Every month, Global Cleveland publishes our newcomer policy update so that you can stay informed about the latest news.

This month’s Newcomer Update at a glance:

• Bill to abolish H1Bs introduced

• House legislation would create new standards for ICE and CBP’s handling of detainees

• Federal court rules against administration on access to lawyers

• A bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers wrote to Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security urging the secretary to exempt the healthcare sector from the $100,000 fee for H-1B visas
• The letter cited the ongoing healthcare worker shortage and the severe financial strain the fee could place on hospitals and other healthcare organizations
• The effort was led by Yvette Clarke and Mike Lawler, both of New York, and signatories included two Ohio Representatives, Emilia Sykes and Shontel Brown.
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zDZCDd18YwTKpSSw1T3tqZuygglR-2IM/view

• Florida Republican Congressman Greg Steube introduced the EXILE Act, which would abolish the H-1B program
• Steube cited abuse of the program and harm to the job prospects of American workers as reasons for the bill, which as of now does not have any co sponsors.
• The bill would end the program by setting the number of visas allocated to zero, starting with Fiscal Year 2027.
• https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7451/cosponsors

• A new bill would establish protocols for denaturalization of certain citizens who had been convicted of fraud, terrorism, espionage, or an aggravated felony.
• Called the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act, the bill was introduced by Rep. Tom Emmer, who cited the ongoing criminal case surrounding fraud by businesses in Minnesota, many of who are owned by individuals with ties to Somalia, as a reason.
• The bill was introduced with a long list of Republican co-sponsors.
• https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/whip-emmer-introduces-scam-act-to-denaturalize-fraudsters-terrorists-felons

• Raul Ruiz led a group of more than eighty democratic members of Congress to introduce the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in ICE and CBP Custody Act codifying new standards for the care of individuals detained by immigration enforcement personnel
• The bill would require detainees to have access to sufficient food and water, and shelter would have to be gender-separated. It would also require agency wide guidelines for health screenings.
• The bill would also contain new standards for training of agents and monitoring and compliance standards for the agency.
• https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7335/cosponsors?r=2&s=4&q=%7B%22cosponsor-state%22%3A%22Ohio%22%7D

• New legislation, labeled HR7252, would repeal section 642 of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.
• This section forbids local governments from restricting the sharing of immigration of an individual’s citizenship or immigration status with federal law enforcement and immigration personnel.
• The provision has a significant affect on the ability of municipalities to restrict cooperation with ICE, a controversial issue since the new administration took power.
• The bill, introduced by Texas’ Sylvia Garcia, has only Democratic sponsorship.
• https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7252

• The Department of Homeland Security announced the Temporary Protected Status for Yemen would end within 60 days of the relevant notice being published in the federal registrar
• Yemen, which has been in political turmoil since a 2011 revolution toppled the country’s leader, has been designated for TPS since 2015.
• Yemeni nationals in the United States have 60 days to either leave the country or find another lawful basis for remaining in the US; the government offers to pay travel expenses for those who choose to depart the country.
• https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-terminates-temporary-protected-status-for-yemen

• A new rule from the Department of Homeland Security provides for an easier path for renewals of R1 visas for religious workers.
• Previously, R1 workers were required to depart the US and remain outside of the country for a year before seeking readmission.
• The Department cited that demand for the visas exceeded supply and a 2023 rule change made the wait times excessively long
• https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-reduces-wait-times-for-thousands-of-religious-workers-abroad

• Democracy Forward led a group of legal organization who filed a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement to try to prevent them from arresting people at courthouses
• The tactic, used since this spring, can enable quick deportation, but critics have accused it of violating due process
• Plaintiffs on the lawsuit include 12 immigrants who had entered the country without authorization and applied for asylum
• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/nyregion/trump-ice-arrests-lawsuit-immigrants.html

• A Minnesota federal judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit against the government over its immigration enforcement operations in the state.
• Judge Nancy Brasel, herself an appointee of President Trump, ordered that immigration detainees be given access to phones and attorneys, finding that existing policies made it near impossible for them to have sufficient legal representation
• The order will last for two weeks, and the case may continue to move through federal court.
• https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5737388-judge-rules-ice-detainee-rights/

• A major ruling has been issued in a high profile case that has been one of the most watched legal disputes of the new administration: a federal immigration judge terminated removal proceedings against Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk.
• Öztürk wrote an op ed in her university’s student newspaper characterizing the actions of Israel in Gaza as genocidal, and urging Tufts to divest of investments made in the country. The government cancelled her visa, and arrested her, citing that her actions undermined US foreign policy, supported terrorism, and created a hostile environment for Jewish students
• The court order found that the Department of Homeland Security had not met the burden of proof required to continue removal proceedings against the student
• https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/immigration-court-drops-case-against-tufts-student-rumeysa-ozturk-72033590?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqeH2nuONCC_QlPvdcBOfzWak28j2FRoLUbQTGCyw2lB6JlNNSgAukvuQJtxvg%3D%3D&gaa_ts=69963a11&gaa_sig=0Oycx8BIMP4Jvcb6ZYdk-VgkD5jSzLcqNFTT2rOAI90GGsFONmOeZccMMkxaZQZ5sHT5QSKPp-Sllc4AhqhaYw%3D%3D

• A federal immigration judge ruled against the federal government in the high profile deportation case of Mohsen Mahdawi, who was detained last year at a citizenship appointment over his activism against Israel during the Gaza War.
• The case was dismissed on technical grounds, related to the authentication of documents from the Secretary of State.
• The terms of the ruling allow the government to appeal or refile deportation proceedings, but the Department of Homeland Security has not said if they will do so.
• https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/02/18/mohsen-mahdawi-deportation-dismissed-vermont-columbia