You can find the online version of the bulletin here: https://forumtogether.org/article/legislative-bulletin-friday-november-7-2025/
With hope,
Nicci
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
DHS Proposes Expanded Biometrics Collection for Immigration Benefits
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule on November 3 that would significantly expand the collection and use of biometric data in the administration of immigration laws. The rule would require submission of biometrics from any individual filing or associated with an immigration benefit request, including U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and lawful permanent residents, regardless of age, unless DHS grants an exemption. Under current regulations, DHS collects biometrics including fingerprints, photographs, and signatures from certain immigration benefit applicants aged 14 and older.
The proposed rule would eliminate age restrictions and expand the types of biometric data collected to include DNA. The rule would also establish a continuous vetting system requiring foreign nationals who receive immigration benefits to submit biometrics periodically throughout their stay in the United States until they naturalize to citizenship. DHS previously proposed a similar rule in September 2020 during the first Trump administration, but the Biden administration withdrew that proposal in May 2021. The proposed rule would change the standard for rescheduling biometrics appointments from "good cause" to "extraordinary circumstances" and would remove the presumption of good moral character for benefit applicants aged 14 or younger.
State Department Revokes 80,000 Nonimmigrant Visas Since January
The State Department has revoked approximately 80,000 nonimmigrant visas since January 2025, more than double the number typically revoked in a year, according to senior State Department officials. The most common grounds for revocation were criminal offenses, with approximately 16,000 visas pulled for driving under the influence, 12,000 for assault, and 8,000 for theft, accounting for nearly half of all revocations. Of the total revocations, approximately 8,000 were student visas. Department officials stated that visas may be revoked for indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in terrorist activity, or providing support to terrorist organizations.
The State Department has also revoked visas based on social media activity, including posts critical of the United States or expressing support for designated terrorist organizations. In October, the department revoked visas for at least six foreign nationals who made public comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his assassination in September. Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, who has taught at U.S. universities for 30 years, had his visa revoked by a U.S. consular office.
ICE Plans Call Center to Track Unaccompanied Migrant Children for Removal
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to establish a 287(g) Program National Call Center in the greater Nashville, Tennessee, area to help state and local law enforcement track unaccompanied migrant children for potential removal. According to a Request for Information posted on November 4, the call center would serve as a liaison between ICE and partner agencies that have signed 287(g) agreements, receiving inquiries from law enforcement in the field, analyzing data, and confirming enforcement actions. The number of state and local law enforcement agencies with 287(g) agreements has increased from 135 in January 2025 office to more than 1,100.
The call center would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is expected to handle 6,000 to 7,000 calls per day regarding the locations of minors. ICE anticipates achieving initial operational capability by the end of March 2026 and full operational capability by the end of June 2026. Immigration advocates have criticized the plan, arguing the center will not protect children but will only serve to make it easier to deport them.
Legal
Federal Court Blocks ICE Cooperation Requirement for Transportation Grants
The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island ruled on November 4 that the Department of Transportation (DOT) cannot require states to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to receive federal transportation funding. The permanent injunction follows a lawsuit filed in May by 20 states, led by California, challenging Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's April letter that outlined the administration's expectations for cooperation with immigration officials as a condition for receiving billions of dollars in transportation grants. The court previously issued a preliminary injunction blocking the directive on June 19, the day before a grant application deadline for states.
The court found that the immigration enforcement condition was unlawful on three grounds: lack of statutory authority, violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and violation of the Spending Clause of the Constitution. The court wrote that the Trump administration "blatantly overstepped their statutory authority, violated the APA, and transgressed well-settled constitutional limitations on federal funding conditions" and that the government did not cite any plausible connection between cooperating with ICE enforcement and the congressionally approved purposes of the DOT.
Judge Issues Restraining Order Over Broadview ICE Facility at Center of Protests
A federal judge in Chicago issued a temporary restraining order on November 5 requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to improve conditions at the Broadview, Illinois, detention facility after detainees described overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. The order came after the court heard testimony from detainees who reported sleeping next to overflowing toilets, lacking access to showers and hygiene products, receiving insufficient food and water, and being unable to contact attorneys. Attorneys for the plaintiffs noted that video footage from October 19 to October 31 covering the period when their clients were held at the facility had been deleted. The judge stated that the facility, originally intended for brief processing, has become a prison with conditions he described as "unnecessarily cruel" and "disgusting." The restraining order remains in effect until November 19, when another hearing is scheduled, and requires federal authorities to provide a status report on compliance by November 8.
The Broadview facility has been the site of repeated protests in recent months as the Trump administration has escalated immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area. The protests have transformed the quiet suburb of 8,000 residents into a focal point of confrontations between demonstrators and federal agents, prompting the Village of Broadview to issue an executive order restricting protest hours after ICE agents deployed tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets that injured residents, police officers, and journalists. A separate federal judge has previously issued orders prohibiting certain crowd-control methods against peaceful protesters and requiring agents to wear body cameras and identification badges.
State and Local
Texas Department of Public Safety Enters Into 287(g) Agreements with ICE
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) signed two 287(g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in early November, deputizing select state troopers to enforce federal immigration laws. The agreements cover DPS's Highway Patrol and Criminal Investigations divisions, authorizing troopers to question, arrest, and process suspected undocumented immigrants under federal authority. The task force model agreements allow DPS officers to conduct immigration enforcement during field operations, including routine traffic stops and criminal investigations. DPS has not disclosed how many troopers will participate in the program or when the new authority will take effect.
The agreements expand Texas's role in immigration enforcement alongside existing state-level initiatives. Earlier this year, Governor Greg Abbott directed DPS to deploy tactical strike teams to work with federal immigration authorities, resulting in 3,131 arrests between late January and early September. The Texas Legislature also passed a law requiring county sheriffs to enter into formal agreements with ICE allowing them to deputize some deputies as immigration agents. Immigration advocates have raised concerns that the 287(g) task force model could lead to widespread racial profiling and increased targeting of Latino drivers during routine traffic stops.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
Veterans Visa and Protection Act
The bill would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a veterans visa program to permit veterans who have been removed from the United States to return as immigrants
Sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) (6 cosponsors)
11/06/2025 Introduced by Sen. Duckworth
11/06/2025 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow certain alien veterans to be paroled into the United States to receive health care furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) (5 cosponsors)
11/06/2025 Introduced by Sen. Duckworth
11/06/2025 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to identify each alien who is serving, or has served, in the Armed Forces of the United States on the application of any such alien for an immigration benefit or the placement of any such alien in an immigration enforcement proceeding
Sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) (7 cosponsors)
11/06/2025 Introduced by Sen. Duckworth
11/06/2025 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Deporting Fraudsters Act
The bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to state that aliens who have been convicted of defrauding the United States Government or unlawfully receiving public benefits are inadmissible and deportable
Sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (2 cosponsors)
11/05/2025 Introduced by Sen. Cruz
11/05/2025 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
A bill to amend the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to provide an exception to the parole fee for the parole of an alien for a sacred Tribal or religious ceremony, cultural exchange, or celebration
Sponsored by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-5) (4 cosponsors)
11/04/2025 Introduced by Rep. Biggs
11/04/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are not scheduled to be in session the week of Monday, November 10.
SPOTLIGHT ON 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:
Our resource provides an analysis of the executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program indefinitely, explaining how the order represents a significant departure from nearly five decades of federal refugee policy established under the Refugee Act of 1980.
Our new explainer details the September 24, 2025 DHS proposed rule that would replace the H-1B visa's random lottery system with a weighted selection process favoring higher-wage applicants, which could disadvantage entry-level positions, smaller employers, and international graduates.
Our explainer analyzes President Trump's September 19, 2025, Presidential Proclamation that introduces a $100,000 "visa integrity fee" for H-1B visa applications. The resource details the policy's impact on employers who may relocate operations abroad and on foreign workers facing fewer opportunities and increased uncertainty.
*As of publication (11/7/25 at 3:30PM EST)
This Bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive. Please contact Nicci Mattey, Senior Policy & Advocacy Associate at the Forum, with questions, comments, and suggestions for additional items to be included. Nicci can be reached at [email protected]. Thank you.
