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Good afternoon, 

Welcome to the Forum's legislative bulletin. Every week, 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.  

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

******Border Patrol Operations Expected to Shift from Chicago to Other Cities**** **

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commander Gregory Bovino left [link removed] Chicago on November 14 for Charlotte, North Carolina, after leading Operation Midway Blitz since mid-September. More than 200 Border Patrol agents are expected [link removed] to deploy to Charlotte and New Orleans, while some CBP agents will remain in Chicago and the surrounding area. The operation has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests in the Chicago area. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will continue operations in Chicago while the Border Patrol contingent relocates. Local officials in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County stated [link removed] they received no advance warning of the planned deployment.  

Bovino and CBP have been at the center of a federal use of force lawsuit after agents deployed tear gas on residential neighborhood streets, near schools, and against civilians and protesters. A federal judge issued [link removed] a preliminary injunction last week against federal immigration agents over the use of force in Operation Midway Blitz, setting stricter limits on what force can be used and when. A separate federal judge in Chicago ordered [link removed] the release of hundreds of individuals arrested during Operation Midway Blitz, finding that their arrests may have violated a 2022 consent decree that limits warrantless arrests in civil immigration enforcement. The court ordered [link removed] 13 people released by November 15 and another 615 people released into alternatives to detention, such as electronic monitoring, by November 2 

******Administration Defends H-1B Visa Program Amid Policy Changes****  **

President Trump defended the H-1B visa program during a Fox News interview [link removed] that aired on November 11, stating that the United States needs to "bring in talent" and that the country does not have people with "certain talents" to fill certain jobs. Trump told host Laura Ingraham that he has been "a believer in H-1B" visas and has used the program at his own properties, pushing back when Ingraham suggested that the program would hurt efforts to raise wages for Americans. The comments drew criticism [link removed] from some conservatives, including former advisor Steve Bannon, who called the president an "imperfect instrument." 

The president’s comments program follow a September proclamation [link removed] in which the administration imposed a $100,000 application fee for H-1B petitions and issued a proposed rule [link removed] to fundamentally alter the lottery process. Business leaders and economic experts criticized [link removed] the fee, arguing that it would disproportionately affect smaller businesses and startups in the technology sector. The H-1B visa program allows U.S. companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations for up to six years. The issue previously divided [link removed] Trump supporters in January after the president appointed Sriram Krishnan, a vocal supporter of skilled immigration, as a senior adviser for AI. 

******State Department Issues New Health-Based Visa Denial Guidance**** **

The State Department issued [link removed] guidance on November 11 directing visa officers to consider chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental health conditions, as grounds for denying immigrant visas under the public charge rule. The guidance instructs [link removed] officers to assess whether applicants have adequate financial resources to cover the costs of their health needs over their entire expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance at government expense. The directive applies primarily to applicants seeking to reside permanently in the United States, though officials indicated it could also affect some nonimmigrant visa applications. The policy reinstates a similar approach from the first Trump administration that was discontinued under the Biden administration.  

The guidance directs visa officers to evaluate whether an applicant's medical condition could require hundreds of thousands of dollars in care and whether the applicant can demonstrate financial resources to cover those costs. Immigration policy experts stated that the guidance expands [link removed] beyond the State Department Foreign Affairs Manual's previous approach, which prohibited denying visas based on speculative scenarios about future health care needs. All visa applicants are already required to undergo medical examinations as part of the application process. State Department officials stated that the policy has been part of immigration law for over 100 years and aims to prevent visa applicants from posing a financial burden to taxpayers. 

******Temporary Protected Status Ends for Venezuelan Nationals**** **

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals under the 2021 designation ended [link removed] on November 7, leaving approximately 240,000 to 260,000 Venezuelans without legal status or work authorization. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) terminated the designation in September, citing "notable improvements" within Venezuela and stating that continuing the protections would be "contrary to national interest". A federal district court judge had issued a preliminary injunction in March blocking the termination, but the Supreme Court ruled [link removed] in October that the Trump administration could proceed with ending TPS while legal challenges continue in lower courts.  

Without TPS protection [link removed], affected Venezuelan nationals revert to their previous immigration status, and those without other legal status become undocumented and subject to removal proceedings. Former TPS holders lose work authorization and could face detention and deportation to Venezuela, where the State Department has issued travel warnings due to high risk of wrongful detention, torture, terrorism, kidnapping, and civil unrest. The termination affects [link removed] major Venezuelan populations in Texas, Florida, and other states where many have lived and worked legally for years. Immigration advocates have urged Congress to pass legislation providing a pathway to citizenship for TPS holders. 

**Legal**

******USCIS Pauses Annual Asylum Fee Following Court Order**** **

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) paused [link removed] implementation of the annual asylum fee on November 7 following a federal court order issued [link removed] on October 30 in 

**Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project v. USCIS**. The court temporarily blocked [link removed] the $100 annual fee that was set to be charged to asylum applicants for each year their application remains pending. USCIS stopped sending new fee notices and instructed applicants who received payment notices to disregard them while the temporary stay is in place. The agency stated it will not refund fees that were already paid and that applicants who paid should retain their receipts.  

The annual asylum fee was established under legislation passed in July 2025 that imposed new fees on various immigration applications and benefits. The fee applied [link removed] to any asylum applicant whose application was pending for the entire fiscal year from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025, and would have been charged annually as long as the application remained pending. USCIS indicated it would issue updated instructions on payment of the annual asylum fee pending further developments in the litigation.  

****State and Local****

******Texas Attorney General Sues Harris County Over Immigrant Legal Defense Fund**** **

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed [link removed] a lawsuit in Harris County District Court on November 11 challenging the county's allocation of $1.3 million to the Immigrant Legal Services Fund, which provides legal representation to individuals facing deportation. The lawsuit argues [link removed] that the program serves no public purpose and constitutes an unconstitutional grant of public funds to private entities to subsidize individual deportation defenses. Paxton is seeking an immediate injunction to stop Harris County from disbursing funds to five organizations that receive county dollars through the program. Harris County established [link removed] the Immigrant Legal Services Fund in 2020 and approved the additional $1.3 million allocation in October. The Harris County Jail leads the nation in ICE detainers as federal and state immigration enforcement has increased under the Trump administration. 

******U.S. Catholic Bishops Address Immigration at Baltimore Conference**** **

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued [link removed] a special message on immigration during their Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore in November 2025, marking the first time in 12 years the conference has used this particularly urgent form of communication. The bishops expressed [link removed] concern for the evolving situation impacting immigrants in the United States and emphasized their pastoral responsibility to care for vulnerable populations, citing scriptural priorities for the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger. On November 10, the bishops announced [link removed] the "You Are Not Alone" program, which provides guidance for Catholics to offer direct assistance to immigrants. The program represents the USCCB's first collective initiative on immigration in 2025, though individual bishops have made statements on immigration in recent months. 

**BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED**

**H.R. 5985** [link removed] 

**Expanding Health Care Providers for Veterans Act** 
The bill would remove numerical limitations on nonimmigrant visas for health care workers employed or offered jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs or state veterans' homes 
Sponsored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) (3 [link removed] cosponsors)  
11/07/2025 Introduced by Rep. Tlaib 
11/07/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary 

**H.R. 5979** [link removed] 

**Immigration Document Delivery Accountability Act of 2025** 
The bill would require that immigration documents mailed by the United States Postal Service include trackable accountability measures such as barcodes or signature requirements 
Sponsored by Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) (0 cosponsors) 
11/07/2025 Introduced by Rep. Self 
11/07/2025 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

**H.R. 5973** [link removed] 

**Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act of 2025** 
The bill would establish limitations on federal immigration enforcement personnel including restrictions on use of force, equipment usage, body camera requirements, and training mandates 
Sponsored by Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) (24 [link removed] cosponsors)  
11/07/2025 Introduced by Rep. Peters 
11/07/2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary 

LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are scheduled to be in session Tuesday, November 18 through Thursday, November 20.

**UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS**

**E-Verify: Ensuring Lawful Employment in America** [link removed] 

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 10:15 AM ET (House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections) 
Location: 2175 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 
Witnesses: To be announced 

**ICE Under Fire: The Radical Left’s Crusade Against Immigration Enforcement** [link removed] 

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM ET (Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety) 
Location: 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 
Witnesses: To be announced 

**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: 

**Forum Analysis: President Trump’s Executive Order on the U.S. Refugee Program** [link removed]

****

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. 

**Explainer: Gold Card** [link removed] 

Our explainer details the new Gold Card program, which the Trump administration has promoted as a way to attract investment and strengthen the economy. We also explain how it raises fundamental questions about fairness and legality. 

**Explainer: President Trump’s Presidential Proclamation on H-1B Visas** [link removed] 

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 (11/14/25 at 3:00PM 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]** mailto:[email protected]

**. Thank you.**

 

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