Gasparian Spivey Immigration

09/28/2026

It's not news, but yet another group finds our government's anti-immigration position harmful to Americans.

"The administration has repeated claims of targeting immigrants with criminal histories, but recent data suggests more than half of those arrested in July had not been convicted of any crimes and were not facing any criminal charges. Less than a quarter of those arrested had been convicted of a crime.

Members of the Kansas Livestock Association are urging federal officials to conduct more targeted enforcement actions and provide more transparency."

Meatpacking industry groups are raising concerns about recent immigration operations in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma.

09/24/2026

Studies consistently show the value of international students to the economy, which made the current administration's efforts to make it harder for those students to attend American institutions mystifying (except not really, unfortunately). We were glad to see DHS' recent effort to blocked by the court.

As we reported earlier this summer, the proposed change would have limited international students and scholars on F-1 and J-1 visas to four years, during which time they had to complete their programs of study. But DHS never demonstrated why those instances were fraudulent, as the duration-of-stay.....

09/16/2026

Recently, we alerted people (see Comments) to the government's efforts to change the "duration of status" rules for those of F-1 and J-1 visas - primarily international students. On Monday, Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction preventing them from going into effect.

We'll have more analysis on this posted this week, but Saylor roasted the DHS argument in his ruling. Exhibit A: "The holder of an F or J visa who requires more than four years to complete his or her studies or work—such as, for example, nearly all students in Ph.D. programs—will need to submit an extension-of-stay request to DHS, using a Form I-539. The rule contains limited
guidance, at best, for the exercise of discretion by DHS in considering such a request. The government has provided no indication as to how the immigration system will be expanded,
or funded, to accommodate a large influx of such requests. Worse yet, any decision by DHS to deny a request for an extension is entirely discretionary and unappealable, even within
DHS itself.

In other words, a DHS official—based on limited and vague criteria, and with no possibility of appeal—will have the power to cut short the academic, research, or teaching activities of any non-U.S. citizen for no reason or any reason. Thus, for example, an international student who is one credit short of graduating could be required to leave the United States without a degree and without any recourse. That introduces, at a minimum, a high degree of uncertainty into the educational process, which will have an obvious deterrent effect on student enrollment. Moreover, it is not difficult to imagine how that system might
be abused to punish those whose viewpoints or research are disfavored by the officials." (I'll put a link that in the Comments as well)
making the decision—or, indeed, punish disfavored institutions.

09/14/2026

ICE doesn't have Kristi Noem to be the face of evil, but that doesn't mean it has become saner. They plan to use a decommissioned Air Force base in Alexandria to house children and families scheduled for deportation. ICE wants the families close to the airfield because transporting children to deportation flights proved too traumatic.

Why was the base decommissioned? Because of soil and ground water contamination with PFAS, which have been linked to cancer. The plan is nakedly inhumane, and the state and Alexandria's willingness to participate and profit from it is a sign their moral degradation.

Organizers are hard at work to convince officials to roll back an agreement with a private prison operator.

09/08/2026

The current administration is in the process of terminating TPS status for the foreign nationals who still have it, and they will phase it out completely by December. It's yet another solution in search of a problem, and it's uprooting people who have lived and worked legally in the U.S. for an average of 20 years.

Here's the quick rundown. El Salvador's next.

At the moment, four countries still have TPS, but all are scheduled to end this fall: El Salvador’s TPS designation will end on September 9, 2026 Sudan’s TPS designation will end on October 19, 2026 Ukraine’s TPS designation will end on October 19, 2026 Lebanon’s TPS designation will end on....

09/02/2026

While the current administration is doing what it can to damage America's immigration system, it's useful to know that it's losing again and again and again in the courts. For instance ...

Three policies issued by federal agencies removing a pathway to a green card were ruled to cause irreparable harm to immigrants who already started an application this year.

08/21/2026

Starting September 15, new regulations limiting "duration of status" for F-1 and J-1 visa holders could drastically affect the desirability of American higher education institutions for international students. If the current administration wants smart people to take their money, their brain power, and their economic impact to other countries, they're on the right track. Our analysis is in the Comments.

08/14/2026

A recent study shows that there are 111,000 fewer international students enrolled in US higher education institutions than in 2024 at the start of the president's second term. That loss could cost the country more than $3 billion, $23 million of that in Louisiana.

All indicators say again and again and again that the mass deportation agenda is brutalizing the economy, but the current administration seems unaffected by the prospect of the country being collateral damage in its immigration policy.

A decline in international students at American universities could cost the U.S. more than $3 billion, including $23 million for Louisiana

08/10/2026

The New York Times recently published an editorial by Ohio's Republican governor Mike DeWine. He applauds the president's efforts to get control of the southern border, then points out what we've been saying for more than a year now, that the president's immigration agenda is terrible for America's economy.

"Like the president, I want everyone who comes to this country to do it legally — and I applaud his focus on and success at bringing us closer to that reality. However, despite his administration’s success in stemming illegal immigration, its approach to those here legally threatens to derail economic momentum in my state and elsewhere by deporting hard-working individuals and shutting the door to future talent.

According to one estimate, international students added nearly $55 billion to the nation’s economy in 2024. Yet the administration has drastically reduced our international student population — a sharp departure from decades of open-ended academic stays that supported research and spurred innovation.

In January, the State Department froze immigrant visa approvals for applicants from 75 countries. (In July, a Federal District Court judge ruled that this was unlawful.) Those visas have in recent years accounted for nearly half of all U.S. immigrant visas.

The administration also reduced the annual cap on refugees allowed into the United States to 7,500 from 125,000, before raising it to 17,500, with most of those slots reserved for white South Africans.

In Springfield, Ohio, Haitian nationals have played a major role in the city’s economic comeback. They’ve filled jobs, repaired homes, paid taxes, started businesses and supported their families. But the administration has ended their Temporary Protected Status, a move I have vocally opposed.

It’s time for Mr. Trump’s Nixon-goes-to-China moment. Having established himself as a staunch opponent of illegal immigration, he should begin a thoughtful, forward-thinking discussion with members of Congress in both parties about enacting a legal immigration policy that strengthens national security, bolsters our economy and keeps decent, hard-working people here.

Among the reforms he should consider supporting: Establishing new pathways to extend the legal status of foreign students who graduate with advanced STEM degrees, essentially stapling a green card to their diplomas; reworking the H-1B visa program to better prioritize workers whose skills and experience are essential to American businesses; and equipping employers with modern, reliable tools to verify work eligibility."

We still have meaningful differences, but in many ways it looks like DeWine has been reading our page!

08/05/2026

We've talked at length on our blog about the cost of the administration's immigration agenda - how it is raising costs and making life harder for all Americans. A recent study quantified how much more experience, calling it the ICE tax. Link is in the comments.