The Supreme Court takes up mandatory detention

The Supreme Court will decide whether the Trump administration can deny bond hearings to people placed in immigration detention during removal proceedings. The justices agreed Thursday to hear a challenge to the administration’s July 2025 policy; lower courts have split over whether people fighting deportation can ask an immigration judge to consider their release. Reuters, El Paso Matters / AP, NBC News

USCIS fee changes take effect this month; visa queues shift

USCIS will raise several H.R. 1 immigration-related fees on October 16. The annual asylum fee, certain initial work-permit fees, the TPS application fee and the parole fee are among the charges being adjusted; USCIS says affected benefit requests postmarked on or after that date without the correct fee will be rejected. USCIS, Federal Register, Newsweek

The October Visa Bulletin brings some movement for people waiting for employment-based green cards, while other lines barely change. That means some people can file green-card applications now, while approvals may come later and others must wait. State Department, Clark Hill, Ogletree

A court restores limits on ICE courthouse arrests

A federal judge struck down the Trump administration policy that allowed ICE to make immigration-courthouse arrests with broad discretion. The order vacates the 2025 policy as applied to immigration courthouses and restores the earlier, narrower limits on such arrests. Gothamist, amNewYork, ACLU

ICE tightens the rules for vehicle stops

ICE has barred high-speed chases and imposed new requirements for vehicle stops after a series of shootings. Internal guidance says only trained officers may conduct stops, participating vehicles must have lights and sirens, and agents must wear activated body cameras. Telemundo / AP, CNN en Español

Renee Good’s family files suit

The family of Renee Good, who was killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis in January, has filed two civil lawsuits against the federal government and immigration officials. One alleges wrongful death and excessive force; the other alleges a conspiracy to violate civil rights. NPR, Sahan Journal, Bloomberg Law

Upcoming

Next four weeks

• OCT 5: The Office of Refugee Resettlement wants to revise the forms its inspectors use to check whether shelters for children who arrive without a parent or guardian meet licensing and other legal requirements. Comments close October 5. Federal Register
• OCT 13: USCIS can require certain immigration applications and petitions to be filed online instead of on paper, with a waiver process for people who cannot file electronically. Comments on the interim rule close October 13. Federal Register
• OCT 16: USCIS fee increases required by H.R. 1 take effect October 16. Immigration benefit requests postmarked that day or later can be rejected if they do not include the new required fee. Federal Register
• OCT 18: The Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division is directed to begin reviewing previously filed H-1B labor-condition applications to decide whether action against sponsoring employers may be warranted. The Insightful Immigration Blog

Missing something, or spotted an error? Reply to this email — corrections run at the foot of the next issue.

Around the system

• Pregnant, postpartum and nursing people are still being held in ICE custody. The 19th reports that DHS confirmed 363 people in those groups were deported between January 2025 and mid-February 2026; a new 19th/YouGov poll found most respondents said they should not be detained or should be detained only in exceptional circumstances. The 19th
• Homebuilders say immigration enforcement is deepening an existing construction-labor shortage. The industry’s trade group says immigrant workers account for more than a quarter of the construction workforce; reporting from Arizona, South Texas and the Mid-Atlantic describes workers staying home, delayed projects and higher costs. KJZZ, Marketplace, Axios
• Connecticut’s new protected-location law took effect Thursday. It restricts civil immigration arrests at schools, hospitals, houses of worship and other covered places. WFSB
• Los Angeles has codified parts of Mayor Karen Bass’s immigration-enforcement directive. The ordinance restricts federal use of city property for staging and processing, and requires city police to document immigration-enforcement incidents when they respond. Los Angeles Magazine, NBC Los Angeles
• Bloomfield, New Jersey, schools briefly sheltered in place after federal agents made an arrest outside Berkeley Elementary School. Officials said the arrest occurred on a public sidewalk and that no students or staff were in danger. NJ.com