The Department of Homeland Security has announced the implementation of its REAL ID enforcement measures at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints nationwide as of May 7th.
Anyone 18 years and older traveling domestically within the United States must have a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license or another accepted form of identification to board a commercial flight.
According to the agency, 81 percent of travelers are already REAL ID compliant.
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the June 2025 Visa Bulletin.
In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month.
USCIS Adjustment of Status
For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed it will continue to use the Final Action Dates chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of June.
For family-sponsored preference categories, USCIS will also continue to use the Dates for Filing chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of June.
Please click here for more information.
Highlights of the June 2025 Visa Bulletin
At a Glance
What can we expect to see in the month of June?
Employment-Based Categories
Dates for Filing Advancements
EB-2 Members of the Professions and Aliens of Exceptional Ability
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
EB-3 Other Workers
On Friday May 9, 2025, President Trump signed executive order “Establishing Project Homecoming,”a new White House initiative aimed at encouraging the voluntary departure of undocumented immigrants from the United States.
This new policy offers financial incentives and logistical support to those who facilitate self-deportation, with the stated goal of reducing the fiscal and social burdens associated with deportation to prioritize funding for Americans in need.
Key Provisions of Project Homecoming:
President Trump’s first 100 days in office have been marred by controversial actions targeting both legal and illegal immigration.
In its latest move, the Trump administration is going even further by targeting “sanctuary” cities which are state and local jurisdictions that limit their cooperation with federal immigration law enforcement officials. “Sanctuary” cities have been known to enact policies that prohibit the detention of individuals solely based on their immigration status and restrict the sharing of information about immigrants with federal authorities.
To force them into compliance, the Trump administration has begun filing lawsuits against sanctuary cities seeking to penalize them for their disobedience.
The first of these lawsuits targets Colorado and Denver for impeding federal immigration authorities from carrying out deportations. Denver is one of many states with state laws that prevent state and local officials from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. For instance, a Denver state law prevents the use of the city’s resources to assist with immigration enforcement, while a separate executive order establishes Denver as a “sanctuary city,” welcoming undocumented immigrants.
If Trump has it his way, the lawsuit would undo Colorado’s sanctuary state laws by declaring them unconstitutional and prohibiting their enforcement.
Interestingly, in responding to the lawsuit, the governor of Colorado Jared Polis denied Colorado’s status as a sanctuary state and said that Colorado regularly cooperates with federal law enforcement authorities.
On April 28th, President Donald Trump signed two new executive orders that significantly impact U.S. immigration policy and enforcement.
These presidential actions are a continued effort to prioritize national security by enhancing law enforcement capabilities and imposes penalties on “sanctuary” cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The first executive order entitled “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens,” empowers state and local law enforcement agencies to take stronger action against crime by expanding their authority and increasing investment in prison infrastructure. It also holds state and local officials accountable for obstructing criminal law enforcement or violating civil rights.
Specifically, it directs the Attorney General to prosecute officials who
willfully and unlawfully direct the obstruction of criminal law, including by directly and unlawfully prohibiting law enforcement officers from carrying out duties necessary for public safety and law enforcement; or
unlawfully engage in discrimination or civil-rights violations under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives that restrict law enforcement activity or endanger citizens.
In the latest clash between the Trump administration and the judiciary—Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan has been arrested by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for accusations of helping a man evade immigration authorities.
This all went down on Friday April 25th after allegations that the judge directed an undocumented immigrant and his lawyer to exit her courtroom through a side door after learning that federal immigration agents were waiting in the hallway to arrest him.
Upon being spotted by agents outside the courthouse, the man was pursued on foot and was ultimately taken into custody.
These actions have prompted a showdown over allegations of obstruction of justice amid Trump’s immigration crackdowns. The U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi has accused the judge of interfering with the government’s enforcement priorities claiming the arrest sends a “strong message” to judges that they will be prosecuted if they “escort a criminal defendant out a back door.”
The circumstances surrounding the judge’s arrest remain unclear. What is known is that six federal officers descended upon the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national attending a court hearing to respond to battery charges in connection with a criminal complaint filed by his roommate.
Following a wave of lawsuits from international students whose visas and Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records were terminated without prior notice, the Trump administration has suddenly changed its course.
In recent weeks, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun reinstating SEVIS records that were previously terminated, after seemingly recognizing that the government did not go through the appropriate channels to do so.
Over the past month, it is estimated that the State Department and ICE collectively cancelled over 300 F-1 student visas and terminated more than 4,736 SEVIS records primarily due to student encounters with law enforcement, criminal charges that were dismissed, and old misdemeanors pre-dating visa issuance. These SEVIS terminations automatically exposed students to unlawful presence in the United States, and the risk of deportation.
It was further discovered that ICE utilized AI assisted programs to screen the social media posts of F-1 international students and terminated their legal status based on antisemitic activity or alleged support for terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
In response, students across the country sued the government to preserve their status, leading federal judges to issue a series of emergency orders to stop the government from cancelling visas and SEVIS records.
We are pleased to report that on April 14, 2025, a Massachusetts federal judge issued a temporary nationwide injunction, suspending the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) termination of the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) parole programs. The termination was set to take effect on April 24, 2025, and would have ended parole authorization and any associated benefits, including work authorization for individuals in the United States under the CHNV parole programs. The judge’s decision suspends the Trump administration’s cancellation of these programs.
What You Need to Know
Starting April 11, 2025, USCIS will begin requiring certain foreign nationals to register with the agency and submit to fingerprinting if they remain in the United States for 30 days or longer. Foreign nationals who remain in the U.S. for less than 30 days are not required to register.
Failure to comply may expose you to criminal or civil penalties, but registering also means providing sensitive personal information to USCIS that may be used in future enforcement actions.
This makes it important for noncitizens to seek the guidance of an immigration attorney. (See important warnings below.)
In this blog post you will learn what the registration requirement is about, who is required to register, the risks of registering, and information about the registration process.
What is the Alien Registration Requirement?
The requirement for foreign nationals to register with the U.S. government is not new—it began in 1940, when Congress first passed a law requiring all foreign nationals to register with the federal government, to provide biographic details (fingerprints), and carry proof of their registration.
Most foreign nationals have been unaware of this requirement because the vast majority are considered “automatically registered” when undergoing the routine visa issuance process and lawfully entering the United States through a port of entry.
However, the alien registration requirement had one glaring flaw. Those who entered the country unlawfully had no way to comply with the registration requirement and meet their obligations under the law.
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the May 2025 Visa Bulletin.
In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month.
USCIS Adjustment of Status
For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed it will continue to use the Final Action Dates chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of May.
For family-sponsored preference categories, USCIS will also continue to use the Dates for Filing chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of May.
Please click here for more information.
Highlights of the May 2025 Visa Bulletin
At a Glance
What can we expect to see in the month of May?
Employment-Based Categories
Dates for Filing Advancements
Final Action Advancements & Retrogressions
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
EB-3 Other Workers
EB-5 Unreserved Categories (C5, T5, I5, and R5)
Visa Lawyer Blog