Overview
- USCIS cut the maximum validity of work permits for refugees, asylum-seekers and other noncitizens from five years to 18 months, saying shorter terms allow more frequent vetting.
- Reporting citing the Wall Street Journal says the change will affect hundreds of thousands of people and could hit employers reliant on asylum-seeker labor, including meat-processing firms.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration plans to extend U.S. entry bans to more than 30 countries, with additional nations under review.
- The government also halted new immigration applications from 19 countries this week as it intensifies screening and enforcement.
- The administration highlighted nearly two million departures since January, including about 530,000 deportations, and is aiming for 600,000 deportations by year-end.