Nicci
ederal
DHS Appropriations Standoff Pushes Government Toward Shutdown
On January 29, the Senate blocked a package of six spending bills that included funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with lawmakers voting 45-55 against advancing the legislation ahead of a January 30 shutdown deadline. Democrats joined by seven Republicans voted against the procedural motion, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune strategically voting "no" to preserve the option to quickly bring the package back for reconsideration if a deal is reached. Senate Democrats and the White House were said to have reached an agreement to pass five of the spending bills funding most federal agencies through September 30, while approving a two-week continuing resolution for DHS to allow time for negotiations on enforcement reforms.
Democrats have demanded changes to the DHS appropriations bill in response to the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in Minnesota, seeking reforms including tightened rules around warrants, requirements for agent identification during enforcement operations, and restrictions on roving patrols. Many of these requests were pursued at the committee level but did not have sufficient support to make it into the original bipartisan package. Senate Republicans indicated the administration appeared open to making changes to the House-passed DHS measure. However, the agreement faced uncertainty as some Republicans expressed concerns about what they characterized as the demonization of federal immigration agents. If lawmakers fail to pass the continuing resolution before midnight on January 30, DHS will experience a partial shutdown while negotiations on enforcement reforms continue.
Amid Backlash, Administration Reshuffles Enforcement Leadership and Adjusts Its Tone
Following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis this month, the Trump administration has reassigned Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino and deployed White House border coordinator Tom Homan to oversee Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota. Bovino, who led high-profile immigration enforcement operations in multiple major cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis, departed Minnesota on January 29 and is expected to return to his previous post as chief of the El Centro Sector in California. The Department of Homeland Security also revoked Bovino's social media access after he engaged in public disputes with lawmakers following the January 25 shooting of Alex Pretti. The leadership changes come as an investigation found that senior Trump administration officials repeatedly issued statements after violent encounters involving federal agents that were later contradicted by evidence.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave the state, stating concerns about civil rights, while federal officials maintain they have the authority to enforce immigration law. Reports indicate that ICE agents in Minnesota have received new guidance to moderate enforcement tactics, including instructions to avoid using the term "raids" and to conduct operations with less visibility. Homan arrived in Minneapolis on January 29 to address community concerns and meet with local law enforcement
Investigations Spotlight Children in ICE Detention
Recent data indicate an increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention of immigrant families and children. Between January and October 2025, approximately 3,800 minors were booked into ICE custody, with more than 1,300 held for longer than 20 days. Lawsuits and detainee accounts have raised concerns about medical care, food quality, psychological impacts, and access to legal counsel. ICE officials and some Republican lawmakers dispute these claims, stating that the facilities are "state-of-the-art," comply with applicable regulations, and provide humane care. Federal officials have attributed longer detention periods to logistical constraints, transportation delays, and medical needs.
Separately, United Nations-appointed human rights experts have reported that the termination of funding for services supporting unaccompanied minors may violate the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), which requires protections against expedited removal and access to legal representation. Reports indicate that following the funding cuts, approximately 26,000 unaccompanied children lost legal counsel, while average custody periods for unaccompanied minors increased from about one month to six months. Responding to reports regarding the detention of children, protesters gathered outside the detention center in Dilley, Texas on January 29. When those protestors refused to obey orders to disperse, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers deployed pepper-ball projectiles and grenades and arrested two individuals. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) visited the Dilley facility on January 28 to meet with a five-year-old boy and his father who were detained in Minnesota and transported to Texas, reporting that the child appeared lethargic and depressed and that his father stated he was not eating properly
Declining Immigration Numbers Reshape U.S. Population Growth and Representation
U.S. population growth slowed to 0.5% between July 2024 and July 2025, the lowest rate since the early COVID-19 pandemic period, according to Census Bureau estimates released January 27. Net international migration dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million during this period, a decline of more than 50%, which the Census Bureau identified as the primary driver of slower population growth. The nation's population reached approximately 341.8 million in 2025, adding only 1.8 million people compared to 3.2 million the previous year. Census Bureau officials noted that births and deaths remained relatively stable compared to the prior year, making the sharp decline in net international migration the main factor in the slowdown. The agency's projections suggest that if current trends continue, net international migration could fall to approximately 321,000 by June 2026.
The population shifts have potential implications for congressional representation following the 2030 census. Analysts projects that Texas and Florida could each gain four congressional seats, while California may lose four seats and New York and Illinois could each lose two. Between July 2024 and July 2025, Texas led population growth with an increase of approximately 391,000 residents, followed by Florida with 197,000 and North Carolina with 146,000. California experienced the largest population decline nationally, losing approximately 9,500 residents, marking a reversal from substantial growth the previous year. South Carolina recorded the highest percentage growth at 1.5%, driven primarily by net domestic migration gains of more than 66,000. The Midwest region saw positive net domestic migration for the first time this decade, with states like Ohio and Michigan reversing previous migration losses.
New Visa Restrictions and Federal Cuts Accelerate Loss of High Skilled Immigrants
The U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s from the federal workforce in the past year, with the National Science Foundation (NSF)3 losing approximately 40 percent of its doctorate-holding experts. Most departures were attributed to retirements and voluntary resignations rather than reductions in force, with researchers citing job security concerns, policy disagreements, and funding cuts as motivating factors. The losses have coincided with major federal budget reductions, including a 55 percent cut to the NSF budget in the first year of the Trump administration. Separately, new international graduate student enrollment fell 19 percent nationally, with nearly two-thirds of American universities reporting decreases in graduate student enrollments while international enrollments rose in Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom.
The administration has implemented multiple policies making it more difficult for high-skilled workers to enter or remain in the United States, including a $100,000 fee for certain H-1B visa petitions. Immigration attorneys have reported that U.S. consulates in India abruptly canceled visa interviews at the beginning of 2026 and will not allow applicants to reschedule until 2027. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on January 26 directed all public universities and state agencies to freeze new H-1B visa applications through May 31, 2027, requiring written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission for any exceptions. Major institutions including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, which employs an estimated 400 to 500 H-1B workers, and UT Southwestern Medical Center, which had 220 H-1B visa holders as of September 2025, warn the freeze will disrupt clinical trials, federally funded research, and faculty recruiting.
Legal
Operation PARRIS Suspended as Court Challenges Refugee Detentions
On January 9, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Operation PARRIS (Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening), an initiative to reexamine refugee cases through new background checks and intensive verification of refugee claims. The operation initially targeted approximately 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who had not yet obtained lawful permanent resident status after arriving in the United States between January 20, 2021 and February 20, 2025. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted house-to-house arrests and detentions, transporting detainees predominantly to facilities in Texas, with enforcement officers using tactics including deception and forced entry to gain access to refugee homes. Attorneys and advocates estimated that at least 100 individuals were detained, including children, with refugees originating from countries including Somalia, Ethiopia, Syria, El Salvador, Venezuela, and Russia.
On January 24, a federal class action lawsuit was filed challenging the legality of the arrests and detentions, with plaintiffs including five legally admitted refugees and The Advocates for Human Rights. The lawsuit alleged that ICE engaged in "warrantless arrest, unauthorized detention, and coercive interrogation" of refugees, and claimed the operation violated the Administrative Procedure Act, ICE's own directives, and the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. On January 28, a federal judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order prohibiting the arrest and detention of refugees in Minnesota under Operation PARRIS who had not been charged with grounds of removal. The order required the release of all detained refugees within five days, mandated that those released outside Minnesota be transported back to the state with releases coordinated with lawyers and family, and required the government to provide a complete list of all those arrested and detained within 48 hours and a status update on releases within seven days.
State and Local
Maine Officials, Families Push Back Against ICE Crackdown
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 206 individuals during a week-long operation in Maine dubbed "Operation Catch of the Day," targeting approximately 1,400 people in the state of 1.4 million residents. The operation resulted in significant community disruption, with Portland schools reporting that 25 to 30 percent of students were absent at some points during the week, including 41 percent of multilingual students and 34 percent of Black students compared to 6 percent of white students. Local law enforcement officials raised concerns after two corrections officers were detained by ICE, including a Cumberland County corrections recruit whose car was left running and unsecured on a Portland street after his arrest. Sheriff Kevin Joyce criticized what he called "bush-league policing" by ICE agents, and hours later federal officials transferred all 50 ICE detainees out of Cumberland County Jail without explanation, complicating legal proceedings and making it difficult for families and attorneys to locate detainees.
Senator Susan Collins requested that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem pause operations in both Maine and Minnesota, calling them "too sweeping and indiscriminate" after receiving constituent reports that ICE was detaining people in the United States legally. On January 28, Collins announced that Noem informed her ICE had ended enhanced operations in Maine with no ongoing or planned large-scale operations in the state. Families and advocacy groups have scrambled to halt transfers of detainees out of state, with immigrants arrested in Maine now scattered across detention facilities throughout the country.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
A bill to provide standards for facilities at which aliens in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security are detained, and for other purposes
The bill would establish federal standards for immigration detention facilities and phase out private detention centers over three years.
Sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) (10 cosponsors)
01/27/2026 Introduced by Sen. Booker
01/27/2026 Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
A bill to amend section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require all Federal law enforcement officers engaged in or supporting immigration enforcement or related enforcement activities to wear and operate a body camera while on duty to ensure transparency and accountability
The bill would require all federal immigration enforcement officers to wear body cameras during enforcement activities and establish retention standards for footage.
Sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) (2 cosponsors)
01/27/2026 Introduced by Sen. Booker
01/27/2026 Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
A bill to amend chapter 93 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit obstruction of immigration laws by official interference
The bill would create criminal penalties for official interference with immigration law enforcement.
Sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) (0 cosponsors)
01/29/2026 Introduced by Sen. Graham
01/29/2026 Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
ICE and CBP Constitutional Accountability Act
The bill would create a federal cause of action allowing individuals to sue the government for civil damages when CBP or ICE officers violate their constitutional rights.
Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) (1 cosponsor)
01/29/2026 Introduced by Sen. Merkley
01/29/2026 Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
To repeal section 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996The bill would repeal section 642 of IIRIRA, which permits communication between government agencies and immigration enforcement about individuals' immigration status.
Sponsored by Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) (9 cosponsors)
01/27/2026 Introduced by Rep. Garcia
01/27/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to be in session Monday, February 2 through Friday, February 6. The House of Representatives is scheduled to be in session Monday, February 2 through Thursday, February 5.
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:
Explainer: Interim Final Rule Eliminates One-Year Foreign Residency Requirement for Religious Workers with R-1 Visas
Bill Summary: Public Safety Act
Explainer: 2025 Proposed Rule on Public Charge
USCIS Internal Memo on Review of Admitted Refugees
*As of publication (1/30/26 at 4:30 PM 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.
