Apr 29, 2026 · legislation
Senate blocks CRA vote to restore automatic 540-day work permit extensions
Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) forced a Senate floor vote on April 29, 2026, on S.J. Res. 99, a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Trump administration's October 2025 rule eliminating automatic employment authorization document extensions. Republican senators held a 50-vote wall with one defection, defeating the resolution. The rule, published October 30, 2025, ended the automatic extension of work permits from 540 days to zero, leaving renewal applicants at risk of losing work authorization while their cases pend.
Apr 15, 2026 · policy_change
ICE opens 700-bed private detention center in McFarland, California
ICE activated the Central Valley Annex in McFarland, California on April 15, 2026, a 700-bed facility operated by GEO Group in a former state prison. The facility brought California's total active ICE detention capacity to nearly 10,000 beds across eight centers, all run by private contractors. DHS transferred detainees to McFarland without advance public notice, continuing a pattern of quietly expanding private detention infrastructure in the state.
Apr 15, 2026 · political
Trump administration declares victory contempt threat permanently eliminated
Following the DC Circuit's decision, White House officials declare total victory in the case. Stephen Miller and Trump administration lawyers characterize the ruling as validation of executive authority and a permanent elimination of judicial contempt threats against executive branch officials. Administration allies call the decision a watershed moment limiting judicial oversight of immigration enforcement.
Apr 9, 2026 · policy_change
ICE spent $1B on detention warehouses without congressional notification
ICE obligated approximately $1 billion to purchase and retrofit warehouse facilities in 11 communities for use as mass immigration detention centers, without notifying Congress as required by federal appropriations law. The agency purchased converted Amazon-style distribution centers to hold thousands of detainees, with plans to operate eight mega-centers capable of holding up to 10,000 people each. Congressional Democrats and local officials learned of acquisitions through news reports rather than agency notification.
Mar 23, 2026 · court_ruling
Federal judge blocks DHS from detaining refugees who lack green cards under Operation PARRIS
A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the Trump administration on March 23, 2026, from implementing Operation PARRIS, a DHS initiative to detain thousands of refugees who had not received green cards despite living in the U.S. legally for over a year. DHS had reinterpreted immigration law via internal memos in December 2025 and February 2026 to mandate detention of any refugee without lawful permanent resident status. The court found the reinterpretation legally erroneous and said the agency had used it to "terrorize refugees who immigrated under the promise they would be welcomed."
