Navy warship is sent to the southern border to carry out Trump's immigration plans

A U.S. Navy destroyer, designed to intercept ballistic missiles, has been deployed to the southern border as part of President Trump's push to seal the border and crack down on immigration, defense officials said. The USS Gravely set sail on Saturday from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown in Virginia. The warship previously served in the Middle East, where it was responsible for shooting down missiles fired by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Now, it will help assist U.S. Northern Command in its mission to "protect the United States' territorial integrity, sovereignty, and security," Gen. Gregory Guillot, who oversees U.S. Northern Command, said in a statement. The command is the Defense Department's operation lead in using military forces to tighten border security. Sponsor Message An American flag (L) and Mexican flag (R) fly along the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas in January 2025. National As Trump shrinks other parts of government, immigration task forces grow The dispatch of the Gravely is the latest move under Trump's executive order from January declaring a national emergency at the United States' southern border. It's in addition to the thousands of active-duty troops ordered to the U.S.-Mexico border. As of last Tuesday, about 9,600 service members had been deployed or were scheduled to deploy there, according to U.S. Northern Command. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has also been developing plans to build immigration detention facilities on U.S. military bases around the country. Defense officials did not clarify where exactly the Gravely will travel to, except to say it will operate in both domestic and international waters. An immigrant prepares to board a military removal flight last month at Fort Bliss, near El Paso, Texas. National DHS memo lays out plans to detain migrants at Fort Bliss and other U.S. bases More generally, U.S. Northern Command's area of responsibility includes "the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water out to approximately 500 nautical miles," the military headquarters' website reads. It also includes the Straits of Florida, parts of the Bahamas, the Caribbean region, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump renamed the Gulf of America in one of his first executive actions. The ship will carry members of a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. Defense officials said the Navy destroyer will be part of law enforcement missions including "maritime related terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction, and illegal seaborne immigration." Sponsor Message At 509 feet long and capable of holding over 300 crew members, the Gravely is considered larger than any Coast Guard vessels. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Trump administration deports hundreds of immigrants even as a judge orders their removals be stopped

The Trump administration has transferred hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador even as a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members, officials said Sunday. Flights were in the air at the time of the ruling. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued an order Saturday temporarily blocking the deportations, but lawyers told him there were already two planes with immigrants in the air — one headed for El Salvador, the other for Honduras. Boasberg verbally ordered the planes be turned around, but they apparently were not and he did not include the directive in his written order. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a statement Sunday, responded to speculation about whether the administration was flouting court orders: “The administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order. The order, which had no lawful basis, was issued after terrorist TdA aliens had already been removed from U.S. territory.” The acronym refers to the Tren de Aragua gang, which Trump targeted in his unusual proclamation that was released Saturday In a court filing Sunday, the Department of Justice, which has appealed Boasberg’s decision, said it would not use the Trump proclamation he blocked for further deportations if his decision is not overturned. Trump sidestepped a question over whether his administration violated a court order while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks along the southern border with Mexico, on Aug. 22, 2024, in Sierra Vista, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks along the southern border with Mexico, on Aug. 22, 2024, in Sierra Vista, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) RELATED COVERAGE The Statue of Liberty is seen from the Staten Island Ferry, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, file) From France comes a call for Trump’s America to return Lady Liberty. Here’s why it won’t happen Spirits with and without the star mark in Bilka in Randers, Denmark, making it easier for customers to buy European goods, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) ‘Danish Viking blood is boiling.’ Danes boycott US goods with fervor as others in Europe do so too South Africa's ambassador to the U.S. Ebrahim Rasool speaks at the South African Embassy in Washington, Dec. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File) Trump administration says South African ambassador has to leave the US by Friday Advertisement “I don’t know. You have to speak to the lawyers about that,” he said, although he defended the deportations. “I can tell you this. These were bad people.” Asked about invoking presidential powers used in times of war, Trump said, “This is a time of war,” describing the influx of criminal migrants as “an invasion.” Trump’s allies were gleeful over the results. “Oopsie…Too late,” Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who agreed to house about 300 immigrants for a year at a cost of $6 million in his country’s prisons, wrote on the social media site X above an article about Boasberg’s ruling. That post was recirculated by White House communications director Steven Cheung. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who negotiated an earlier deal with Bukele to house immigrants, posted on the site: “We sent over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua which El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars.” Steve Vladeck, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, said that Boasberg’s verbal directive to turn around the planes was not technically part of his final order but that the Trump administration clearly violated the “spirit” of it. “This just incentivizes future courts to be hyper specific in their orders and not give the government any wiggle room,” Vladeck said. The immigrants were deported after Trump’s declaration of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which has been used only three times in U.S. history. Advertisement In this photo provided by El Salvador's presidential press office, a prison guard transfers deportees from the U.S., alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP) In this photo provided by El Salvador’s presidential press office, a prison guard transfers deportees from the U.S., alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP) Advertisement The law, invoked during the War of 1812 and World Wars I and II, requires a president to declare the United States is at war, giving him extraordinary powers to detain or remove foreigners who otherwise would have protections under immigration or criminal laws. It was last used to justify the detention of Japanese-American civilians during World War II. Venezuela’s government in a statement Sunday rejected the use of Trump’s declaration of the law, characterizing it as evocative of “the darkest episodes in human history, from slavery to the horror of the Nazi concentration camps.” Tren de Aragua originated in an infamously lawless prison in the central state of Aragua and accompanied an exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the overwhelming majority of whom were seeking better living conditions after their nation’s economy came undone during the past decade. Trump seized on the gang during his campaign to paint misleading pictures of communities that he contended were “taken over” by what were actually a handful of lawbreakers. The Trump administration has not identified the immigrants deported, provided any evidence they are in fact members of Tren de Aragua or that they committed any crimes in the United States. It also sent two top members of the Salvadoran MS-13 gang to El Salvador who had been arrested in the United States. Advertisement Video released by El Salvador’s government Sunday showed men exiting airplanes onto an airport tarmac lined by officers in riot gear. The men, who had their hands and ankles shackled, struggled to walk as officers pushed their heads down to have them bend down at the waist. The video also showed the men being transported to prison in a large convoy of buses guarded by police and military vehicles and at least one helicopter. The men were shown kneeling on the ground as their heads were shaved before they changed into the prison’s all-white uniform — knee-length shorts, T-shirt, socks and rubber clogs — and placed in cells. The immigrants were taken to the notorious CECOT facility, the centerpiece of Bukele’s push to pacify his once violence-wracked country through tough police measures and limits on basic rights The Trump administration said the president actually signed the proclamation contending Tren de Aragua was invading the United States on Friday night but didn’t announce it until Saturday afternoon. Immigration lawyers said that, late Friday, they noticed Venezuelans who otherwise couldn’t be deported under immigration law being moved to Texas for deportation flights. They began to file lawsuits to halt the transfers. “Basically any Venezuelan citizen in the US may be removed on pretext of belonging to Tren de Aragua, with no chance at defense,” Adam Isacson of the Washington Office for Latin America, a human rights group, warned on X. The litigation that led to the hold on deportations was filed on behalf of five Venezuelans held in Texas who lawyers said were concerned they’d be falsely accused of being members of the gang. Once the act is invoked, they warned, Trump could simply declare anyone a Tren de Aragua member and remove them from the country. Boasberg barred those Venezuelans’ deportations Saturday morning when the suit was filed, but only broadened it to all people in federal custody who could be targeted by the act after his afternoon hearing. He noted that the law has never before been used outside of a congressionally declared war and that plaintiffs may successfully argue Trump exceeded his legal authority in invoking it. The bar on deportations stands for up to 14 days and the immigrants will remain in federal custody during that time. Boasberg has scheduled a hearing Friday to hear additional arguments in the case. He said he had to act because the immigrants whose deportations may actually violate the U.S. Constitution deserved a chance to have their pleas heard in court. “Once they’re out of the country,” Boasberg said, “there’s little I could do.” _____ For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Experts say Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, can't be deported without due process

The detaining of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student and Palestinian activist who possessed a green card, has raised questions about the deportation risks faced by lawful permanent residents amid the Trump administration's escalating crackdown on immigration. President Donald Trump's administration, which has alleged that Khalil was a supporter of Hamas, has said it has the authority to deport Khalil under the Immigration and Nationality Act. "Secretary [Marco] Rubio reserves the right to revoke the visa of Mahmoud Khalil under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of State has the right to revoke a green card or a visa for individuals who are adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States of America," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press conference this week. MORE: Activist Mahmoud Khalil asked Columbia University for legal support day before ICE arrest, his wife says Khalil, whose detention has sparked protests this week, is married to an American citizen who is eight months pregnant. He has not been charged with a crime, and some supporters have accused the government of abducting him. Under the Immigration Nationality Act, which experts say is rarely invoked, the government can charge a green card holder as being deportable without being convicted of a crime if there are reasonable grounds to believe they engaged in certain criminal or terrorist activities. But experts and immigration attorneys ABC News spoke with said the statute does not give the secretary of state the power to deport green card holders like Khalil without going through a procedure. "The way the statute is constructed, it doesn't mean that Secretary Rubio can just say, 'Oh, I determined this, and therefore we're just going to deport you out of the country,'" said Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "You would still need to go through a process." Spencer Platt/Getty Images Protestors rally in support of Mahmoud Khalil outside of the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse, during a hearing regarding Khalil's arrest, in New York City, Mar. 12, 2025. Spencer Platt/Getty Images After the federal government invokes the statute, individuals like Khalil are entitled to argue their case before an immigration judge. Khalil is set to appear before an immigration judge later this month in Louisiana. "There are some due process and protective procedures that the person is entitled to," Chen said, "including being given a notice of the charges, and an opportunity to confront that evidence and to bring his or her own evidence in response." Chen told ABC News that typically it can take months or even years for immigration cases to "go from start to finish" -- but because of Khalil's "unique circumstances," a judge can prioritize a case and expedite the process. Experts told ABC News there are a number of reasons why an individual could lose their green card, including marriage fraud, immigration fraud, violent crimes and other offenses. Andrew Nietor, an immigration attorney, told ABC News said that while there are cases where the government invokes the Immigration and Nationality Act for certain green card holders with criminal convictions, he said he has never seen a case like Khalil's. "I've never seen this ground of deportation invoked," Nietor said. "It's almost always a green card holder who is almost always in deportation proceedings because of some type of criminal conviction." For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Trump's new travel ban could prohibit entry to the US from this 'red list' of countries

The Trump administration is finishing a travel ban that would prohibit citizens from a list of blacklisted countries from entering the U.S., officials told The New York Times and Reuters. The ban would fall under an executive order, signed by the president on Jan. 20, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other,” which is meant to address “national security and public safety threats.” The order claims it will protect U.S. citizens from “aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.” Here is what you need to know about the pending travel ban. What countries would be on Trump's new travel ban? Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have a deadline of 60 days from the order to identify such countries and enact the ban. According to Reuters, the following "red list" countries are considered to be on the travel ban list: Sudan Venezuela Somalia Syria Yemen Iran Libya Cuba North Korea Pakistan and Afghanistan are expected to be added to the list. Which countries did the Trump administration previously ban? During Trump’s first term, his administration created a series of bans against citizens from Muslim-majority countries. Get the Think Texas newsletter in your inbox. Your weekly fix of Texas history, nostalgia, myths and more. Delivery: Varies Your Email According to NAFSA.org, Trump's first administration had travel bans 3.0 and 4.0. Travel ban 3.0 barred certain Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia citizens. Travel ban 4.0 contained restrictions on immigrants but not on nonimmigrants. Travel ban 4.0 did not impact acquisition of nonimmigrant visas like F-1 student, J-1 exchange visitor, H-1B worker, etc., or admission to the U.S. in those categories. Here is a list of the 3.0 and 4.0 bans: Travel ban 3.0 countries Iran Libya North Korea Syria Venezuela Yemen Somalia Travel ban 4.0 countries Eritrea Kyrgyzstan Nigeria Myanmar Sudan Sudan What happened to the original ban? Former President Joe Biden reneged Trump's initial executive order in 2021. How would the ban affect American travelers? Experts have indicated that Americans might encounter a heightened risk of harassment while traveling to countries targeted by the Trump administration.American Society of Travel Advisors CEO Zane Kerby told Travel Weekly that "blanket 'entire country' travel bans constrain legitimate business and discourage friendly foreign visitors" and "risks retaliation from targeted countries and their allies." For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Immigration officials defend authority to hold migrants at Guantanamo Bay

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. immigration and military authorities disclosed Monday that immigrants from 27 countries were being held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba, while revealing new details of conditions of confinement and defending the government’s authority to transfer and hold immigrants at the military base. Court filings on behalf of the Homeland Security and Defense departments indicated that 40 immigrants with final deportation orders were being held at Guantanamo Bay as of Friday — with 23 labelled “high risk” and held individually in cells. The remainder were held in another area of special housing for migrants, in groups of up to six. Civil rights attorneys sued the Trump administration this month to prevent it from transferring 10 migrants detained in the U.S. to Guantanamo Bay and filed statements from men held there who said they were mistreated in conditions that of one of them called “a living hell.” Advertisement Responding to the lawsuit, Justice Department attorneys argued Monday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has broad authority to hold immigrants with final removal orders at Guantanamo Bay “for only so long as their removal remains significantly likely to occur in the reasonably foreseeable future.” Related Stories ACLU sues for access to migrants flown to Guantanamo this month ACLU sues for access to migrants flown to Guantanamo this month Nearly 200 Venezuelan migrants are flown home from Guantanamo Bay, with a layover in Honduras Nearly 200 Venezuelan migrants are flown home from Guantanamo Bay, with a layover in Honduras All you need to know about Guantánamo Bay All you need to know about Guantánamo Bay U.S. immigration and military authorities “do not need to show that (Naval Station Guantanamo Bay) is essential to that plan, logistically uncomplicated, or that it is the least expensive option,” the Trump administration argued in the court filings. Administration attorneys also said, “the government does not dispute that the mass removal efforts are intended in part to deter illegal migration.” New written testimonials from ICE and military leaders say that Guantanamo Bay detainees are being “treated with dignity and and respect,” describing access to legal counsel, regular meals, laundry service and medical care as ”not inconsistent with other ICE detention facilities.” Advertisement At the same time, the government testimonials also acknowledge the naval base is not accommodating requests for in-person visits by legal counsel, while some detainees refused to eat and some have been placed in hand and leg restraints after threatening to harm themselves. Strip searches are conducted upon arrival for “high-risk” detainees, with “pat downs” searches when immigrants leave certain holding areas. Personal phone calls of up to five minutes each day are being allowed, with conversations monitored by ICE, authorities said. Trump has said he will send the worst criminal migrants to Guantanamo Bay, but civil rights attorneys say many detainees transferred to there don’t have a serious criminal record or any criminal record. Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney in the case for immigrants aiming to block transfers to Guantanamo, said the ACLU does not have a full list of immigrants detained at the base or their countries of origin. He declined to comment further ahead of a court hearing in the case. The 10 men involved in the lawsuit came to the U.S. in 2023 or 2024, seven from from Venezuela, and the others from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Advertisement Trump in January said he wanted to expand immigrant detention facilities at Guantanamo to hold as many as 30,000 people, and his administration on Feb. 4 began flying immigrants there. Initially nearly 200 Venezuelans immigrants were transferred to Guantanamo — and later flown to their home country. No Venezuelans were detained at Guantanamo, as of Friday. While the U.S. naval base in Cuba is best known for the suspects brought in after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, it has a small, separate facility used for decades to hold migrants. Tent facilities with the capacity to hold 520 immigrants have been installed but are not yet in use. Migrants also are being held in a medium-security facility modeled after U.S. prisons. The migrant detention center operates separately from the military’s detention center and courtrooms for foreigners detained under President George W. Bush during what that administration called its “war on terror.” For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Immigration agents arrest Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal immigration authorities arrested a Palestinian activist Saturday who played a prominent role in Columbia University’s protests against Israel, a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s pledge to detain and deport student activists. Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia until this past December, was inside his university-owned apartment Saturday night when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered and took him into custody, his attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press. Greer said she spoke by phone with one of the ICE agents during the arrest, who said they were acting on State Department orders to revoke Khalil’s student visa. Informed by the attorney that Khalil was in the United States as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that instead, according to the lawyer. Advertisement A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, confirmed Khalil’s arrest in a statement Sunday, describing it as being “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism.” 0:00 / 48 AP AUDIO: ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests, his lawyer says AP correspondent Julie Walker reports ICE arrests a Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests. Related Stories Leader of student protests at Columbia facing deportation Leader of student protests at Columbia facing deportation Arrest of Palestinian activist stirs questions about protections for students and green card holders Arrest of Palestinian activist stirs questions about protections for students and green card holders Columbia investigates students critical of Israel Columbia investigates students critical of Israel Khalil’s arrest is the first publicly known deportation effort under Trump’s promised crackdown on students who joined protests against the war in Gaza that swept college campuses last spring. The administration has claimed participants forfeited their rights to remain in the country by supporting Hamas. McLaughlin signaled the arrest was directly connected to Khalil’s role in the protests, alleging he “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.” As ICE agents arrived at Khalil’s Manhattan residence Saturday night, they also threatened to arrest Khalil’s wife, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant, Greer said. Khalil’s attorney said they were initially informed that he was being held at an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. But when his wife tried to visit Sunday, she learned he was not there. Greer said she still did not know Khalil’s whereabouts as of Sunday night. Advertisement “We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained,” Greer told the AP. “This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats.” A Columbia University spokesperson said law enforcement agents must produce a warrant before entering university property, but declined to say if the school had received one ahead of Khalil’s arrest. The spokesperson declined to comment on Khalil’s detention. In a message shared on X Sunday evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration “will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.” ▶ Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. The Department of Homeland Security can initiate deportation proceedings against green card holders for a broad range of alleged criminal activity, including supporting a terror group. But the detention of a legal permanent resident who has not been charged with a crime marked an extraordinary move with an uncertain legal foundation, according to immigration experts. Advertisement “This has the appearance of a retaliatory action against someone who expressed an opinion the Trump administration didn’t like,” said Camille Mackler, founder of Immigrant ARC, a coalition of legal service providers in New York. Khalil, who received his master’s degree from Columbia’s school of international affairs last semester, served as a negotiator for students as they bargained with university officials over an end to the tent encampment erected on campus last spring. The role made him one of the most visible activists in support of the movement, prompting calls from pro-Israel activists in recent weeks for the Trump administration to begin deportation proceedings against him. Khalil was also among those under investigation by a new Columbia University office that has brought disciplinary charges against dozens of students for their pro-Palestinian activism, according to records shared with the AP. The investigations come as the Trump administration has followed through on its threat to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Columbia because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus. Advertisement The university’s allegations against Khalil focused on his involvement in the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group. He faced sanctions for potentially helping to organize an “unauthorized marching event” in which participants glorified Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and playing a “substantial role” in the circulation of social media posts criticizing Zionism, among other acts of alleged discrimination. “I have around 13 allegations against me, most of them are social media posts that I had nothing to do with,” Khalil told the AP last week. “They just want to show Congress and right-wing politicians that they’re doing something, regardless of the stakes for students,” he added. “It’s mainly an office to chill pro-Palestine speech.” JAKE OFFENHARTZ JAKE OFFENHARTZ Offenhartz is a general assignment reporter in the New York City bureau of The For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

USCIS Forms Update Notice

Good afternoon, We recently updated the following USCIS form(s): Form N-400, Application for Naturalization 03/04/2025 11:37 AM EST Edition Date: 03/04/25. Starting 4/4/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records 03/04/2025 11:37 AM EST Edition Date: 03/04/25. Starting 4/4/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form I-485 Supplement J, Confirmation of Valid Job Offer or Request for Job Portability Under INA Section 204(j) 03/03/2025 11:45 AM EST Edition Date: 03/03/25. Starting 4/3/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form I-485 Supplement A, Supplement A to Form I-485, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i) 03/03/2025 11:44 AM EST Edition Date: 03/03/25. Starting 4/3/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status 03/03/2025 11:37 AM EST Edition Date: 03/03/25. Starting 4/3/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status 03/03/2025 11:37 AM EST Edition Date: 03/03/25. Starting 5/5/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form G-325A, Biographic Information (for Deferred Action) 03/03/2025 11:35 AM EST Edition Date: 03/03/25. Starting 4/3/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form I-356, Request for Cancellation of Public Charge Bond 02/24/2025 12:09 PM EST Edition Date: 02/24/25. Starting 3/24/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form I-914, Application for T Nonimmigrant Status 02/24/2025 11:36 AM EST Edition Date: 02/24/25. Starting 3/24/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s). Form I-941, Application for Entrepreneur Parole 02/24/2025 11:36 AM EST Edition Date: 02/24/25. Starting 3/24/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition(s).

Trump Wants to Use the IRS to Track Down Immigrants. They May Stop Paying Taxes.

IMMIGRANTS IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY paid nearly $100 billion in taxes in 2022, according to a report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic policy. But that source of government revenue may soon taper off as the Trump administration pushes the Internal Revenue Service to help it accelerate its program of mass deportations. The Washington Post reported Friday that the IRS rejected a request from Homeland Security to reveal the addresses of 700,000 people the agency suspects of being undocumented, an action that could violate taxpayer privacy laws. But the Post went on to report the new acting IRS commissioner Melanie Krause is (surprise) more amenable to complying with the request to turn over the taxpayer data of immigrants. The result, experts say, is not just that tax data will be morphed into a cudgel for the immigration fights. People are also now becoming too scared to file their taxes. One immigration lawyer told me they suspect the number of people forgoing those filings will only rise as the Washington Post report hits Spanish-language media. Tax professionals and immigration advocates in areas with large immigrant populations who spoke to The Bulwark said they are already feeling the effects. And it’s not just tax filings—it’s the shriveling of small businesses with ties to the community. In Nevada, which has the third-highest rate among states of mixed-status families—where at least one family member is undocumented—an employee at Toro Taxes in Las Vegas, where their clientele is 95 percent Latino, said overall business has dropped a stunning 25 percent from last year. “Business is slow,” the employee who declined to give her name said, adding that even longtime customers have disappeared or said they won’t be filing taxes this year: “They’re saying they’re too scared.” In Corona, Queens—where in 2016 I found that one in five residents was undocumented—Dejesus Tax Services has seen the same chill among its customer base, 80 percent of whom are Latino, as tax season heats up. The owner said an estimated 60 percent of Dejesus clients known to the company to be here illegally are not showing up to file taxes so far. “Turnout has been very low,” Ramon DeJesus told The Bulwark. “At the beginning there was nobody, but now there is a trickle.” “I have people that come here with a W2 for $120,000 with no papers, usually in construction, and this year a lot of them have been afraid to come in,” he said. “Even the streets around my office have been quiet.” This dynamic has left immigrants in a desperate bind: fearful that they could be tracked down and deported if they file their taxes, but also mindful that they could get in trouble for not paying their taxes. “I’m still going to file my taxes because anything tiny, even a parking ticket, could be detrimental to my possible citizenship in the future,” one temporary protected status holder told The Bulwark, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Even if I was scared, I would still file because not filing would be worse than them not having my information.” THAT UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS PAY TAXES is not a widely known fact. But under the law, if you have reportable income, you have to pay, no matter your immigration status. And if you’re not here legally but hope to be able to change your status in the future, not paying taxes can create problems for residency or citizenship applications later on, while staying current on your tax obligations can be used to demonstrate civic responsibility to an immigration judge. These payments are a huge benefit for U.S. citizens. Of those undocumented taxpayer funds, nearly $60 billion went to the federal government, the Institute on Taxation and Economic policy study found. Another $37 billion went to local and state governments. Undocumented people paid roughly $8,889 per person in 2022. “In other words, for every 1 million undocumented immigrants who reside in the country, public services receive $8.9 billion in additional tax revenue,” the report stated. Those taxes help prop up the nation’s Social Security system, which undocumented immigrants can’t even access when they turn 65. As Trump has gone about accelerating deportations, pro-immigrant advocates have warned that the follow-on effects will include the fraying of the social safety net as these payments disappear. Americans for Tax Fairness, an advocacy organization that promotes progressive tax reform, is one of the groups shouting out those warnings. It is holding a Spanish-language briefing next week with labor leaders and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) on how, contrary to Trump’s rhetoric, undocumented immigrants are “not a drain on federal resources at all.” Don’t miss another Huddled Masses: Sign up to get it delivered for free twice a week. Type your email... Join “These are workers that are positively contributing to our communities—they’re our neighbors and coworkers who are contributing not just through their labor in critical industries like agriculture and construction, but they’re paying their taxes and don’t get benefits back,” Pablo Willis, the group’s communications director, told The Bulwark. “Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s entire business empire is based on federal subsidies, and Tesla didn’t pay taxes last year.” It’s All About the Data IMMIGRANTS WITHOUT SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS receive individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITIN) to facilitate their tax payments, which is why the IRS has records of their last known addresses and information about their families, employers, and earnings. The Trump administration is after that data because they want to use it to search out people who may be in the country illegally. The pressure being brought to bear on the agency for the data is part of a larger effort to try to collect as much useful information as possible to help recalibrate the machinery of the government to accelerate deportations. “The real danger is when they’re trying to access other databases,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Cal.) told The Bulwark. “A good example, tax information: Extremely sensitive, only certain people are supposed to have access to it, any unauthorized disclosure of that information, $5,000 fine or five years in jail. . . . I think what they’re actually after is the ITINs so they can go after undocumented immigrants; that’s why it’s so dangerous for them to have access to that information.” The prospect that the IRS may comply with the Trump White House’s request has alarmed Democrats. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) argued that doing so would violate privacy laws and lay the groundwork for future abuses. “They give their address and it’s supposed to all be confidential,” she said. “It’s not just the undocumented that should be worried.” Share The Bulwark FOR MANY, THE VERY IDEA THAT THE TRUMP administration would repurpose the logistics of paying taxes as a means to ramp up deportations demonstrates how little their deportation program is actually about tackling criminality. “What criminal pays their taxes?” asked Mariana Castro, a DACA recipient. She said that despite the swirling uncertainty of their legal fate, DACA recipients have to continue paying their taxes—and they do so with the full knowledge the government has their information. “This is something when DACA first came out, undocumented people worried about signing up because the thought was, ‘What happens if we give them our information?’” she added. “Now, in Trump’s view, I’m a criminal when I have a cleaner criminal record than the president.” In 2022, the Trump Organization was convicted of tax fraud and fined $1.6 million. Lawyers who spoke to The Bulwark said there are reasons someone might not file taxes during a certain year—they could leave the country or die, for example. They don’t believe the goal of the administration’s tax information push is for the IRS to go after immigrants using audits, but for the administration to use the information the agency gives them to track down immigrants. Matt Cameron, a Boston-based immigration lawyer, said whether immigrants use an ITIN or fake Social Security number, the money ultimately goes into the Social Security pot where it benefits everyone—just not undocumented people. “It goes into Social Security to pay Trump-supporters’ retirement,” he said. Share One Last Thing CNN is out with a new report on how Trump’s immigration crackdown is setting up “potential labor shortages, weaker economic growth and higher inflation.” With signs of legal immigration slowing and the expectation that it will decline throughout Trump’s second term, our newly hostile environment could result in worker shortages in crucial industries. To give one example of the seriousness of the situation: Our aging nation is in dire need of health care workers for the elderly. Older Americans will not be well served by an absence at their bedsides when they need help. So there’s that. Happy Wednesday!

US Immigration Service Wants To Review Applicants’ Social Media Accounts

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)—which handles visa approvals, citizenship applications and asylum requests—outlined the social media monitoring policy proposal on the Federal Register Wednesday. The proposal notes that the USCIS conducted a review of the information it collects for applications and the agency “identified the need to collect social media identifiers…from applicants.” The agency said this information would help them to carry out “identity verification, national security and public safety screening, and vetting, and related inspections.” The USCIS argues that collecting this data is necessary to comply with a day one executive order issued by Trump, “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.” The proposal has been opened for public comments for the next 60 days. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here. symbol 00:00 03:12 Read More What Do We Know About The Executive Order Cited By The Uscis? The executive order, which Trump signed on his first day in office, notes that it intends to protect U.S. citizens from “aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.” The USCIS argues that the social media data collection is necessary to fulfill section 2 of the order, titled “Enhanced Vetting and Screening Across Agencies.” The section calls for ensuring that “all aliens seeking admission to the United States, or who are already in the United States, are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” and establish a “uniform baseline for screening and vetting standards and procedures.” In its proposal notice, the USCIS says social media information is necessary for “establishing enhanced screening and vetting standards” and “help validate an applicant's identity.” For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Privately run immigration detention center to reopen

A private prison company has signed an agreement to reopen an immigrant detention facility in Texas that previously held families with children for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the business said Wednesday. Nashville-based CoreCivic announced the contract with ICE and the city of Dilley regarding the 2,400-bed South Texas Family Residential Center, located about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Laredo and the Mexico border. The center was used during the administration of President Barack Obama and Donald Trump’s first presidency. But President Joe Biden phased out family detention in 2021, and CoreCivic said the facility was idled in 2024. “We do acknowledge that we anticipate housing families” at Dilley, CoreCivic spokesman Ryan Gustin told The Associated Press. CoreCivic said in a statement that the facility “was purpose-built for ICE in 2014 to provide an appropriate setting for a family population.” The new contract runs through at least March 2030. ICE officials did not immediately respond to messages seeking information about who will be held at Dilley and how soon. The agency — which mostly detains immigrants at privately operated detention facilities, its own processing centers and local prisons and jails — entered this year with zero facilities geared toward families, who last year accounted for about one-third of arrivals on the southern border. The Trump administration has expanded the detention of migrants to military bases including Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba, via flights out of Army installations at El Paso, Texas, as it promises to ramp up mass deportations. Private detention contractors with longstanding ties to ICE, including CoreCivic and GEO Group, say they offer less expensive options than the military for an array of immigrant detention services and transportation including international flights. During Trump’s first administration, he authorized the use of military bases to detain immigrant children, including Army installations at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Goodfellow Air Force Base. In 2014, Obama temporarily relied on military bases to detain immigrant children while ramping up privately operated family detention centers to hold many of the tens of thousands of Central American families crossing the border illegally. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Fact-checking Trump's speech to Congress

President Donald Trump delivered his first speech to Congress of his second term Tuesday night, celebrating the big spending cuts, crackdown on migration and economic vision from the opening weeks of his administration. In his remarks, Trump bent the facts on issues including Social Security, immigration, fentanyl and the Russia-Ukraine war. Here's what Trump got right — and wrong — during his 100-minute address. Economic issues Fact check: Are millions of people older than 100 — including some older than 160 — collecting Social Security? Trump said: “We’re also identifying shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud in the Social Security program for our seniors.” This is false. Trump alleged in his speech that millions of senior citizens over age 100 — including some he maintained were older than 160 — were collecting Social Security checks, according to Social Security Administration data. Trump specifically said that SSA records indicated that 4.7 million people 100 to 109 were getting checks, that 3.6 million 110 to 119 were, that 3.47 million 120 to 129 were, that 3.9 million 130 to 139 were, that 3.5 million 140 to 149 were, that 1.3 million 150 to 159 were — and that even 130,000 people older than 160 years old were still getting checks. He also alleged that several hundred people older than 220 were still getting checks, according to SSA data — and that “one person is listed at 360 of age.” The alleged fraud that Trump — and DOGE chief Elon Musk — have pointed to doesn’t exist. Rather, the numbers they refer to are products of a known problem with the government’s data. There are millions of people over age 100 in the Social Security Administration’s database, but the vast majority aren’t receiving benefits. Inspectors general at the agency have repeatedly identified the issue, but the Social Security Administration has argued that updating old records is costly and unnecessary. An SSA IG report from 2023 showed 18.9 million people listed as 100 years or older — but not dead — were in the database. But “almost none” currently receive SSA payments. The SSA’s inspector general also found in a report released in July that from 2015 to 2022, only 0.84% of benefits payments were improper. That 0.84% of improper benefits payments totaled $71.8 billion over eight years. The report also says most of the improper payments were overpayments — not payments to dead people or people who didn’t qualify. In addition, according to the agency’s online records, just 89,106 people — not tens of millions — over age 99 received retirement benefits in December, out of the more than 70 million people who receive benefits every year. Fact check: Under whose watch did egg prices spike? Trump said: "Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control — and we are working hard to get it back down." This needs context. It’s true that egg prices spiked during Biden’s presidency as inflation rose steadily. The average price of one dozen Grade A eggs peaked during the Biden administration in January 2023 at $4.32, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. It eventually retreated, falling to less than half that by late 2023, before it rose again last year. According to that government data, however, the average price of one dozen Grade A eggs peaked this January at $4.95, a month in office that Trump shared with Biden — a product of the growing transmission of bird flu among chickens. That is nearly double the price they were in January 2024 ($2.52). Fact check: Trump says car plants are "opening up all over the place" Trump said: “We’re going to have growth in the auto industry like nobody’s ever seen. Plants are opening up all over the place. Deals are being made, never seen. That’s a combination of the election win and tariffs. It’s a beautiful word, isn’t it, that, along with our other policies, will allow our auto industry to absolutely boom. It’s going to boom. Spoke to the majors today, all three, the top people, and they’re so excited. In fact, already, numerous car companies have announced that they will be building massive automobile plants in America, with Honda just announcing a new plant in Indiana, one of the largest anywhere in the world.” This is mostly false. No automaker has announced a new plant since Trump took office and began instituting new tariffs. Reuters reported that Honda planned to produce 210,000 Civics in Indiana instead of Mexico, but the company hasn’t made a public announcement. What’s more, it’s unclear whether Honda would expand its operations in Indiana, open a new plant or simply move production of the new Civic to the plant and reduce production of other vehicles there, too. Honda’s Indiana plant produces as many as 250,000 vehicles annually. In addition, Trump’s move to impose a 25% tariff on all imports coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico could add thousands of dollars to the cost of each new vehicle. Immigration Fact check: Trump claims illegal immigration "destroyed" Aurora, Colo., and Springfield, Ohio Trump said: "Joe Biden didn’t just open our borders. He flew illegal aliens over them to overwhelm our schools, hospitals and communities throughout the country. Entire towns like Aurora, Colorado, and Springfield, Ohio, buckled under the weight of the migrant occupation and corruption like nobody has ever seen before. Beautiful towns destroyed." This is false. Springfield and Aurora have long been some of Trump’s favorite targets when it comes to examples of American cities he likes to nod to as being overrun by migrants, though he often misrepresents the situations there. He didn’t mention any specific allegations about the two cities in his speech — but his reference to them is a clear reference to previous false allegations about them. For example, Trump repeated a baseless claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield eating dogs and other pets during a debate last year. The story provide false, however. The culprit was a non-migrant woman in a nearby town. Meanwhile, Trump also painted a sinister picture of Aurora during the campaign. At a rally there in October, he alleged the city had been overtaken by a Venezuelan prison gang — Tren de Aragua — after a social media clip went viral claiming the gang had taken over an apartment complex in Aurora. Police at the time said there was no evidence the gang had taken over the complex, and Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, called Trump’s descriptions “not accurate.” Fact check: Is Canada, along with Mexico, to blame for the fentanyl crisis? Trump said of Canada and Mexico: “They’ve allowed fentanyl to come into our country at levels never seen before, killing hundreds of thousands of our citizens and many very young, beautiful people, destroying families. Nobody has ever seen anything like it.” This is partly false. While fentanyl comes across the border from Mexico in significant numbers, Canada is hardly to blame for the crisis. In the 2024 fiscal year, fentanyl seizures at the northern border were just 43 pounds, according to Customs and Border Protection data. Meanwhile, more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the southern border during the same period. Fact check: Trump says many migrants who entered the country the past four years were criminals Trump said: “Over the past four years, 21 million people poured into the United States. Many of them were murderers, human traffickers, gang members and other criminals from the streets of dangerous cities all throughout the world because of Joe Biden’s insane and very dangerous open border policies. They are now strongly embedded in our country, but we are getting them out and getting them out fast.” This is misleading. According to Customs and Border Protection data, the Biden administration had more than an estimated 14 million migrant encounters at and between ports of entry at U.S. borders. More than 118,000 migrants with criminal backgrounds were apprehended at U.S. borders during that time — a small part of the more than over 14 million migrant encounters. There have been instances of migrants found to have criminal records from their home countries after they’ve entered the United States, but there is no evidence to support that it is widespread, and immigration officials have long cited challenges with getting criminal records from certain migrants’ home countries before they cross the border. The Trump administration has frequently cited the presence of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in the United States and the high-profile killing of the Georgia nursing student Laken Riley last year by a Venezuelan national who entered the country illegally in 2022 as indicative of widespread migrant crime. Fact check: Is Trump responsible for "the lowest numbers of illegal border crossers ever"? Trump said: “Since taking office, my administration has launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history — and we quickly achieved the lowest numbers of illegal border crossers ever recorded.” This appears to be true, but questions about the specifics remain. Recommended Donald Trump 'We are just getting started': Trump touts his agenda to reshape America It is unclear whether Trump is speaking about border crossings, encounters and/or apprehensions. According to Customs and Border Protection data from 2000 to 2019 that compares apprehensions across the various sectors by month, the month with the fewest crossings on record was April 2017, at 11,677. CPB says, “From Jan. 21 through Jan. 31, 2025, the number of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border dropped 85% from the same period in 2024.” Trump claimed last month on Truth Social: “There were only 8,326 apprehensions of Illegals by Border Patrol at the U.S. — Mexico Border.” Health Fact check: Trump says more children are being diagnosed with autism Trump said: “As an example, not long ago, and you can’t even believe these numbers, 1 in 10,000 children had autism. One in 10,000, and now it’s 1 in 36. There’s something wrong. One in 36, think of that, so we’re going to find out what it is.” This needs context. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this ratio is correct. But the statistic is often used to justify opposition to vaccination. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pointed to vaccines to explain the substantial rise in autism diagnoses in recent decades, which have ballooned from an estimated 1 in 150 children in 2000 to 1 in 36 today. But the science is clear that vaccines don’t cause autism. Rather, research suggests that much of the increase is due to increasing awareness and screening for the condition, changing definitions of autism to include milder conditions on the spectrum that weren’t recognized in previous years and advances in diagnostic technology. Finding the causes of autism is complicated, because it’s not a single disorder, scientists and experts have told NBC News. In addition, those scientists and experts have said they believe that people develop autistic traits because of a combination of genetic vulnerability and environmental exposures. International Fact check: Trump claims U.S. is spending much more on Ukraine than Europe Trump said: “Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine by far. Think of that. They’ve spent more buying Russian oil and gas than they have defending. And we’ve spent perhaps $350 billion, and they’ve spent $100 billion. And we have an ocean separating us, and they don’t. And Biden has authorized more money in this fight than Europe has spent.” This is mostly false. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to last December, the United States had allocated $114.2 billion in aid to Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institute, which is tracking aid to Ukraine. That’s not more than Europe spent: Those nations allocated more than $132.3 billion, with plans to allocate more. Trump is correct in pointing out that Europe has spent more on oil and gas than it spent on military assistance last year, according to estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Oil and gas taxes account for a huge share of Russia’s revenues each year. Polling Fact check: Is the share of Americans who think the country is on "right" track at a record high? Trump said: “For the first time in modern history, more Americans believe that our country is headed in the right direction than the wrong direction.” This is false. Trump appears to be cherry-picking a single poll result and ignoring a few strong numbers from early in Biden’s term. While he doesn’t cite his source, it seems likely he’s pointing to a recent Rasmussen Reports poll showing that 47% say America’s on the “right track.” Rasmussen is a right-wing poll that regularly partners with conservative authors and outlets to sponsor its polling. And it’s controversial — the polling aggregation site FiveThirtyEight removed the poll from its averages last year over concerns about its partisanship and its methodology. It’s true that many polls have shown a bump in the classic “right track, wrong track” question since Trump took office. For example, NPR/Marist/PBS’ newest poll found 45% saying the country is moving in the right direction, up from 35% in December and from even lower during earlier parts of the Biden administration. But those highs have been hit before — 47% said America was moving in the right direction in a July 2021 poll from NPR/Marist/PBS (49% thought it was moving in the wrong direction). And just months earlier, a Politico/Morning Consult poll found 51% of registered voters saying the country was going in the right direction.

Trump vows to press ahead on reshaping America in speech to Congress as Democrats register dissent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump vowed to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy in an unyielding address before Congress that left Democratic legislators to register their dissent with stone faces, placards calling out “lies,” and one legislator’s ejection. Trump’s prime-time speech Tuesday was the latest marker in his takeover of the nation’s capital, where the Republican-led House and Senate have done little to restrain the president as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP) President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP) Republicans stand as Democrats sit as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Republicans stand as Democrats sit as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) The president’s address, clocking in at a record 99 minutes, added up to a defiant sales pitch for the policies that Trump promised during his campaign and leaned into during his first weeks back in office. Trump pledged to keep delivering sweeping change to rescue the nation from what he described as destruction and mistakes left by his predecessor. He seldom addressed his comments directly to the American people, who are trying to keep up with the recent upheaval, while repeatedly needling the Democratic lawmakers seated before him. Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who delivered the Democratic response following Trump’s speech, allowed that “America wants change, but there’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy.” Emboldened after overcoming impeachments in his first term, outlasting criminal prosecutions in between his two administrations and getting a tight grip on the GOP-led Congress, Trump has embarked on a mission to dismantle parts of the federal government, remake the relationship with America’s allies and slap on tariffs that have sparked a North American trade war. “It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action,” Trump said of his opening weeks in office. “The people elected me to do the job, and I am doing it.” Trump, who has billionaire adviser Elon Musk orchestrating his efforts to slash the size and scope of the federal government, said he is working to “reclaim democracy from this unaccountable bureaucracy” and threatened federal workers anew with firings if they resist his agenda. Elon Musk stands and is recognized and applauded as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Elon Musk stands and is recognized and applauded as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Musk, who was seated in the House gallery, received a pair of standing ovations from Republicans in the chamber, as Trump exaggerated and shared false claims about alleged government abuse uncovered by the Tesla and SpaceX founder and his team of disrupters. Trump repeated false claims that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments, prompting some Democrats to shout, “Not true!” and “Those are lies!” Trump spoke at a critical juncture in his presidency, as voters who returned him to the White House on his promise to fix inflation are instead finding economic chaos. All the gains the S&P 500 have made since Election Day are now gone, while consumer sentiment surveys show the public sees inflation as worsening. Trump seemed prepared to double down on his trade policies, which experts have warned will raise prices for consumers. “Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them,” Trump said. At the same time, he tried to ease concerns about the resulting price increases, saying, “There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much.” President Donald Trump speaks as Vice President JD Vance, from left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., stand and clap as Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) President Donald Trump speaks as Vice President JD Vance, from left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., stand and clap as Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Trump said one of his “very highest priorities” was to rescue the economy and offer relief to working families. He promised to organize the federal government to lower costs on eggs and energy, blaming his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for the situation and offering scant details of his own plans. Trump also called for the extension of his first-term tax cuts and additional federal funding for his border crackdown, including for his promised efforts at “mass deportation” of people in the U.S. illegally. He celebrated his crackdown on migration, saying, “But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.” Speaking about his promised tax cuts, Trump seemed to goad Democrats, saying: “I’m sure you’re going to vote for those tax cuts. Because otherwise I don’t believe the people will ever vote you into office.” The backdrop was the new economic uncertainty unleashed after the president opened the day by placing stiff tariffs on imports from the country’s neighbors and closest trading partners. A 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect early Tuesday — ostensibly to secure greater cooperation to tackle fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration — triggering immediate retaliation and sparking fears of a wider trade war. Trump also raised tariffs on goods from China to 20%. Republican members of Congress applaud as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican members of Congress applaud as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republicans were boisterous as Trump stepped to the lectern in the House, chanting “USA! USA!” as the president basked in the cheers. The GOP lawmakers were jubilant, having won a trifecta of the White House, Senate and House in the elections. However, they face the challenging task of delivering on Trump’s agenda as well as avoiding a government shutdown later this month. Across the aisle, out-of-power Democrats set the tone early, with most remaining seated without applauding or making eye contact with Trump as he was introduced in the chamber. After several interruptions, House Speaker Mike Johnson jumped in and called for decorum to be restored in the chamber as Republicans shouted “USA” to drown out the cries from the other side of the aisle. Johnson then ordered Texas Rep. Al Green removed from the chamber. “It’s worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up” to Trump, Green told reporters after being thrown out of the chamber. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, left, shouts as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP) Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, left, shouts as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP) Other Democrats held up signs criticizing like “Save Medicaid” and “Protect Veterans” during Trump’s remarks, seeking to drive public awareness to elements of Trump’s agenda they believed might offer them a pathway back to the majority. Some Democrats chose to highlight the impact of Trump’s actions by inviting fired federal workers as guests, including a disabled veteran from Arizona, a health worker from Maryland and a forestry employee who worked on wildfire prevention in California. Trump also used his speech to address his proposals for fostering peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the policies of the Biden administration in a matter of just weeks. On Monday, Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, ending years of staunch American support for the country in fending off Russia’s invasion. Democrats hold signs as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Democrats hold signs as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., holds a protest sign with fellow Democrats as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP) Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., holds a protest sign with fellow Democrats as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP) Trump recited a letter he received earlier Tuesday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that the wartime president wants to come back to the table after a explosive Oval Office meeting last week broke down negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. “We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” Trump said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” He also announced the arrest of a suspect in the 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed U.S. troops during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump’s 1 hour and 39 minute speech was the longest annual address a president has ever delivered to Congress, breaking Bill Clinton’s record of 1 hour and 28 minutes. Watching from the gallery with first lady Melania Trump were guests including 15-year-old Elliston Berry, of Aledo, Texas, who was the victim of an explicit deepfake image sent to classmates. Other White House guests included relatives of Corey Comperatore, the former Pennsylvania fire chief who was killed as he protected his family during an assassination attempt on Trump last summer. Republican lawmakers cheered the conclusion of Trump’s address with chants that echoed his words after he was struck in the ear by a bullet: “Fight! Fight! Fight!” ___ For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Amid Trump crackdown, illegal border crossings plunge to levels not seen in decades

Washington — The number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border illegally in President Trump's first full month in office plunged to a level not seen in at least 25 years, according to preliminary government data obtained by CBS News. Last month, Border Patrol recorded about 8,450 apprehensions of migrants who crossed into the country unlawfully between official entry points along the U.S.-Mexico border, the statistics show. On some days during a record spike in illegal crossings under the Biden administration, Border Patrol recorded more than 8,000 apprehensions in a single day. February's total, which could be adjusted when the government officially publishes the statistics, would be the lowest monthly apprehensions tally recorded by Border Patrol since at least fiscal year 2000, the last period with public monthly data. The final tallies usually don't deviate much from the preliminary figures. Over the past 25 years, the only time monthly apprehensions came close to the level recorded in February was in April 2017, when Border Patrol apprehended 11,000 migrants at the southwest border, agency data show. Historical illegal crossings along the U.S. southern border since 2000 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 0 20K 40K 60K 80K 100K 120K 140K 160K 180K 200K 220K 240K 8,450 Note: February 2025 figure is preliminary Chart: Taylor Johnston / CBS NewsSource: U.S. Customs and Border Protection While monthly data before fiscal year 2000 is not publicly available, the last time Border Patrol averaged roughly 8,000 apprehensions per month over a year was in fiscal year 1968, according to historical statistics. Illegal crossings along the U.S. southern border have been trending downward over the past year, including under the Biden administration, after spiking to an all-time high in late 2023. They first dropped in early 2024 after Mexican officials expanded efforts to stop migrants from reaching the U.S. border and then fell further in the summer following former President Biden's move to sharply restrict access to the asylum system. But the reduction in illegal immigration has been precipitous since Mr. Trump's inauguration. In January, Border Patrol agents at the Mexican border recorded 29,000 apprehensions, down 38% from 47,000 in December. The drop from January to February was even more pronounced, amounting to a roughly 70% decrease. Trump administration officials have credited their sweeping, government-wide immigration crackdown for the dramatic decrease in unlawful crossings. At the U.S.-Mexico border, the Trump administration has empowered federal officials to swiftly deport migrants without hearing their asylum claims, under the premise that the country is facing an "invasion." U.S. law says migrants on American soil generally have the right to claim asylum to delay or halt their deportation. Trump administration officials have argued the system has been systematically abused by smugglers and economic migrants, who don't qualify for asylum. Mr. Trump has also directed the American military to help with immigration enforcement, deploying thousands of additional troops to the southern border and tasking military planes with deporting migrants. While Biden also moved to curtail asylum during his last year in office, Mr. Trump's unprecedented actions are far more restrictive. Unlike the Biden administration, for example, the Trump administration is not processing, in any significant capacity, asylum-seekers at official border entry points. In fact, a Biden-era system that facilitated that processing through a government app was quickly terminated. The Trump administration is also considering adding another layer to its restrictions at the border, making plans to invoke a public health law known as Title 42 to summarily expel migrants on the grounds that they could spread diseases like tuberculosis. Whether migrant flows continue dropping, plateau or increase in the coming weeks and months remains unclear. Historically, migrant arrivals at the southern border have increased in the springtime. While its border strategy has yielded quick results, the Trump administration's efforts in the U.S. interior, where the president has promised to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history, have encountered significant obstacles. Top Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have been reassigned in recent weeks amid frustrations that the agency is not carrying out sufficient arrests and deportations. ICE's detention capacity has also been stretched thin. As of Friday, ICE detention centers were at 117% capacity, with the agency detaining more than 45,000 migrants, 20,000 of whom were first apprehended at the southern border, according to internal government data. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

What Trump’s order making English the official language in the US could mean

As President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, activists and advocacy groups are alarmed by what that will mean for non-English speakers when it comes to immigration, voter access and other issues. The order, which was announced Friday, will allow government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in languages other than English, according to a fact sheet. The move rescinds a mandate from former President Bill Clinton that required the government and organizations that received federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. Designating English as the national language “promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement,” according to the White House. But some activists and organizations think the move is just another way for the president to stoke division and fear. Advertisement “This isn’t just an offensive gesture that sticks a thumb in the eye of millions of U.S. citizens who speak other languages, but also will directly harm those who have previously relied on language assistance for vital information,” Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, an advocacy group for immigration reform, said in an email. What does it mean to have an official language? According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an official language is what is used by the government to conduct official, day-to-day business. Having one or more official languages can help define a nation’s character and the cultural identity of those who live in it. Prioritizing one language may place certain people in position of power and exclude others whose language is not recognized, according to the institute. U.S. English, a group that advocates for making English the official language in the United States, believes having an official language provides a common means of communication, encourages immigrants to learn English to use government services and “defines a much-needed common sense language policy.” Advertisement Currently there are more than 350 languages spoken in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The most widely spoken languages other than English are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Arabic. People in the U.S. also speak Native North American languages such as Navajo, Yupik, Dakota, Apache, Keres and Cherokee, among others. Advertisement Potential impact on citizenship and voting Anabel Mendoza, the communications director for United We Dream, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization, said limiting the language of federal communication will make it harder for people to become citizens if they are denied the ability to speak their native tongue throughout the process. Currently, people of certain age and residency requirements can qualify for a waiver to do the citizenship test and interview in their native language. “Trump is trying to send the message that if you’re not white, rich and speak English you don’t belong here,” Mendoza said. “Let me be clear: Immigrants are here to stay. No matter how hard Trump tries, he can’t erase us.” The Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced Friday that New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, caucus chair, will deliver, on behalf of Democrats, the official Spanish-language response to Trump’s upcoming joint address to Congress. George Carrillo, co-founder & CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council, said it seems like a step backwards in a country that has championed its diversity. He is also concerned how limiting governmental communication might affect U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico where the predominant language is Spanish. “This executive order, while framed as promoting unity, risks dismantling critical supports like ESL programs and multilingual resources that help immigrants adapt and contribute,” Carrillo said. “Imagine families navigating healthcare or legal systems without materials in a language they understand, it’s a barrier, not a bridge.” Advertisement APIAVote, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on registering Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, also expressed worry this could mean barriers for millions of voters such as naturalized citizens or elderly residents who aren’t English-proficient. “It will make it harder for them to participate civically and vote, as well as access critical healthcare, economic and education resources,” the group said in a statement. Furthermore, the organization says this action could make anyone who speaks another language a target. “The exclusionary nature of this policy will only fuel xenophobia and discrimination at a time when anti-Asian hate and hate against other minority and immigrant groups are rising.” States that have English as the official language More than 30 states, from California to New Hampshire, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands have already passed laws designating English as their official language, according to U.S. English. Hawaii is the only state to declare two official languages, English and Hawaiian. For decades, lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation to designate English as the official language, but those efforts failed. The most recent effort was in 2023, when Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and JD Vance, R-Ohio, introduced the English Language Unity Act. Vance is now vice president. Advertisement How many countries have official languages? It is estimated that over 170 countries have an official language, with some having more than one language. Mexico does not have an official language. In Canada the official languages are English and French. According to Canada’s Official Languages Act of 1969, the purpose of designating two languages ensures “the equality of status” and protecting linguistic minorities “while taking into account the fact that they have different needs.” For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Business groups quietly push back on Trump's immigration raids

Business groups are quietly urging the Trump administration to ease up on its plans for immigration raids in workplaces, but the White House is resisting. Why it matters: So far, the pace of workplace raids doesn't appear to have increased under President Trump compared to the Biden administration's efforts. But aggressive shows of enforcement are key to Trump's plans to crackdown on illegal immigration. Zoom in: Just the threat of more raids has rattled several industries — such as construction and agriculture — that rely on immigrant labor, not all of it legal. "Rumors of raids are having more impact at this point than raids themselves," said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and workforce for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Two agriculture industry group leaders echoed that sentiment. Concerns about raids have led some workers to walk off job sites early or not show up at all, they said. "It's a question of, where are we being prioritized" in the immigration crackdown, said one of the agriculture industry group leaders, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the immigration issue. "I think there's a lot of uncertainty" about that. The big picture: Trump's team and other Republican leaders are betting that a crackdown on immigrants not authorized to work in the U.S. will open up jobs for Americans and legal residents, and raise wages among working-class voters, who've drifted toward the GOP in recent elections. In doing so, the administration is bucking some of the GOP's traditional supporters in the business community. Americans "overwhelmingly voted for decisive action on the border and those here illegally," said Chris LaCivita, a Trump campaign co-manager who's now a senior adviser at Building America's Future, a group that supports Trump initiatives. "No amount of lobbying from certain business sectors will change what the new GOP and President Trump are determined to implement." "Republicans are making a big switch, a lot of them," a former Trump administration official said. They're "recognizing that the American worker is not happy, and they're justified in not being happy." Critics see the White House's plan as leading to an exodus of workers in jobs that many Americans don't want to do, resulting in lower productivity, higher prices and a damaged economy. "The long-term impact will be where housing prices are already too high in places like Arizona," said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). "When they can't get the workforce to build the houses, the prices are going to go up and rents are going to go up." "We've been told why Americans don't do" certain jobs, said immigration attorney Patricia Gannon, who used to work for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "We may not like the answers." By the numbers: Undocumented workers and those with expired work visas can be difficult to track across sectors of the economy, but some studies have given a glimpse of their presence. The American Immigration Council estimates that about 4.6% of the employed labor force are undocumented immigrants. A recent Department of Agriculture study estimated that about 42% of America's farmworkers were undocumented from 2020 to 2022. About a quarter of construction workers across the U.S. may be undocumented, according to the National Immigration Forum, an immigration advocacy group. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) told Axios he's heard from companies in his state concerned about worksite raids. " 'Don't hire illegals' should be your statement," Moreno said he told one business association when it asked him what it should say about the situation. "Migrants are … fleeing terrible situations," Moreno said. "But it's the companies that are hiring that need to have some sort of ramifications." The intrigue: Trump's immigration plans have sparked increased lobbying on the issue. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation's largest lobbying organization, recently filed a government disclosure that offered hints at its work on immigration. The chamber didn't respond to an interview request and didn't list specific policies it's lobbying on in its February report. But a more detailed filing for the last quarter of 2024 showed the chamber lobbied on "high-skilled" immigrants, "less-skilled" immigrants, various immigration visa categories and several immigration-related bills. Other industry groups, including the AGC, are pushing for protections for their labor force, including more visas for foreign workers and more trade school trainings to hire Americans. What they're saying: "[Pennsylvania Democratic Sen.] John Fetterman would have a better chance of convincing Trump to do something for the business community than the chamber," said one Republican lobbyist, who currently doesn't have a client focused on immigration. "The chamber represents the Nikki Haley-establishment, Paul Ryan-, Mitch McConnell-wing of the party, which is dead and buried at this point," the lobbyist added. "Businesses that human traffic and exploit migrants for cheap labor should be afraid: We will go after them," said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. "As for law-abiding companies, the media is intentionally manufacturing fear," she added. "If there was any correlation between rampant illegal immigration and a good economy, Biden would have had a booming economy." Many Democrats have backed detaining and removing criminals who are in the U.S. without authorization, but don't support Trump's plans. "Mass deportations," Kelly said, "are designed to scare people. We need to deport criminals." For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Why Trump’s ‘gold card’ proposal is more complicated than it sounds

The Oval Office announcement caught many immigration experts by surprise. Last week the president known for touting his mass deportation plans floated a new way he wants to draw wealthy foreigners to the US: a “gold card” that offers investors a path to US citizenship for $5 million. “I think it’s going to be very treasured. I think it’s going to do very well. And we’re going to start selling, hopefully, in about two weeks,” President Donald Trump said on Wednesday. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the plan could raise $1 trillion to pay down the national debt, and that it would replace the existing EB-5 investor visa. But immigration law experts say the “gold card” proposal is far more complicated and uncertain than Trump and Lutnick made it sound. Here are several reasons why: The president can’t create a new visa on his own The gold card Trump described would be a new visa granting lawful permanent resident status in the US and a pathway to citizenship. But a president alone can’t create a pathway to citizenship – a fact that’s also foiled Trump’s predecessors’ desires for significant immigration reforms. Both President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden used executive actions to protect certain people from deportation – efforts frequently decried by Trump and other Republicans. But Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, and Biden’s humanitarian parole program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, known as CHNV, stopped short of conferring a legal status or providing a pathway to citizenship. Immigration law experts say a new visa would require a new law, something a president can’t create on his own. “Congress would have to legislate a new program. I really don’t know what legal authority you would have to just create this new program out of whole cloth,” says Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. In other words, lawmakers would need to pass a law to create the program Trump has described. The Trump administration “has literally no legal power to create a visa category,” says Charles Kuck, an immigration lawyer in Atlanta. Mario Tama/Getty Images Trump says the "gold card" would offer a path to US citizenship for a $5 million fee. It isn’t the first time Trump has tried to tie wealth to immigration privileges. During his first term, the Trump administration attempted to reshape legal immigration to the US by broadening the definition of a public charge and penalizing those who rely on public assistance in green card applications. Critics said that measure, which was ultimately revoked by the Biden administration, amounted to an unjust “wealth test,” while Trump administration officials defended the move, arguing that self-sufficiency is a core American value. This latest effort by Trump earned swift praise from supporters who lauded the president’s outside-the-box thinking, and criticism from immigrant rights advocates who say it’s sending the wrong message. “All it’s saying is we want the richest people in the United States, rather than maybe the best and the brightest, or those who are going to actually serve in the national interest of the United States by … improving our economy overall,” Dalal-Dheini says. Congress created the EB-5 program. That means ending it would require Congress to act Lutnick said Tuesday that the gold card would replace the government’s EB-5 immigrant investor visa program, which allows foreign investors to pump money into US projects that create jobs and then apply for visas to immigrate to the US. Immigration law experts say ending the EB-5 program or significantly changing it would also require Congress to act. On Wednesday, Lutnick suggested the program would be modified rather than replaced. “We will modify the EB-5 agreement,” Lutnick says. “(Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi (Noem) and I are working on it together. For $5 million, they’ll get a license from the Department of Commerce. Then they’ll make a proper investment.” Congress created the EB-5 visa in 1990. Statutes define how many visas can be granted under the program every year and how much money investors must contribute to participate. The law allows the admission of about 10,000 investors and qualifying relatives annually, according to the Congressional Research Service. Applicants who filed before March 15, 2022, must have invested at least $1 million – or $500,000 in economically distressed zones known as targeted employment areas, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Applicants after that date must invest at least $1,050,000 – or $800,000 in economically distressed zones. Andy Wong/AP/File Chinese visitors seek information on the US government's EB-5 visa program at a 2017 Invest in America Summit in Beijing. Kuck, who says he’s helped hundreds of clients navigate the EB-5 process, says he sees “zero chance” that Congress would eliminate the program and replace it with the gold card proposal. “The amount of money that the EB-5 program has brought in over the course of the last 30 years would dwarf the number of people who could actually afford and want to use a $5 million golden visa,” he says. “People with that kind of money do not necessarily want to be subject to U.S. taxation.” Could lawmakers pass changes to the program in the budget reconciliation process? Nicolette Glazer, an immigration lawyer in California, says it wouldn’t be possible to end or significantly change the EB-5 program that way. But it’s possible a “gold card” provision could be added, she says, if it’s presented as a simple immigration tariff. “I could see them trying to put in something like that just to show that they’re doing something,” she says. Past efforts by Democrats to make a major immigration policy change during reconciliation were rejected by the Senate parliamentarian, Kuck says. “They can’t change immigration law in reconciliation,” he says. Officials haven’t said what would happen to investors already waiting for a green card What about the thousands of people who’ve already applied for EB-5 visas and are waiting for decisions from the government? Officials haven’t said what would happen to them under the gold card plan. Many with concerns have been reaching out to attorneys, uncertain of what the new move could mean for their applications, according to Dalal-Dheini of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “They’ve already invested their money into this while they’re waiting for their green card to be approved. … It’s a multi-step process and it can take years, if not decades, for someone to get approved,” Dalal-Dheini says. “So pulling the rug out from under those investors without any notice or without any opportunity to either save their investment or be able to finalize their process would be really unfair and would actually damage our economy.” Other questions about the gold card proposal remain unanswered, too, such as how or whether it would help foreign graduates of US universities. That’s something Trump suggested last week while offering few details, saying companies may be able to buy gold cards and give them to foreigners as a recruitment tool. Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg/Getty Images Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said vetting "gold card" applicants would be a priority. "They’ll have to go through vetting, of course,” Lutnick said Tuesday, “to make sure they’re wonderful, world-class global citizens.” It’s also unclear how applicants would be vetted, though Lutnick stressed that would be a priority. Already critics are warning the gold card would be likely to attract criminals eager to pay their way into the US. “Selling US citizenship to the highest bidder will attract corrupt actors seeking safe haven for themselves and their dirty money,” Transparency International CEO Maíra Martini said. For his part, Trump maintained creating the gold cards would be “totally legal.” Asked whether he would consider selling the cards to Russian oligarchs, Trump responded: “Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.” Despite the confusion Trump’s announcement caused, Dalal-Dheini says she sees an opening in the president’s recent comments. “We do need to increase the number of green cards that we have available to people. There aren’t enough,” she says. “And I think what the president is highlighting is that immigrants actually contribute to our economy … A number of our big entrepreneurs that have been super successful came here as immigrants.” And that, she says, is something many people across the aisle can agree on, whether or not Trump’s gold card proposal ever becomes a reality. CNN’s Michael Williams and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.