## 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](https://www.reuters.com/world/us-supreme-court-hear-clash-over-trumps-immigration-detention-policy-2026-10-01/), [El Paso Matters / AP](https://elpasomatters.org/2026/10/01/supreme-court-to-review-mandatory-ice-detention-policy-for-immigrants-el-paso-camp-east-montana/), [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-decide-lawfulness-trumps-immigrant-detention-policy-rcna600251)

## 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](https://uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-announces-fy-2027-inflation-increase-for-certain-immigration-related-fees), [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/01/2026-20187/fiscal-year-2027-inflation-adjustment-to-hr-1-immigration-fees), [Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/uscis-announces-higher-immigration-fees-what-applicants-pay-12511225)

**The [October Visa Bulletin](https://adoptions.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2027/visa-bulletin-for-october-2026.html) 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](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2026/visa-bulletin-for-october-2026.html), [Clark Hill](https://www.clarkhill.com/news-events/news/october-2026-visa-bulletin-employment-based-immigration-updates/), [Ogletree](https://ogletree.com/insights-resources/blog-posts/october-2026-visa-bulletin-fy-2027-brings-employment-based-visa-movement)

## 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](https://gothamist.com/news/us-judge-in-ny-indefinitely-blocks-ice-from-making-arrests-at-immigration-courthouses), [amNewYork](https://amny.com/news/federal-judge-strikes-ice-immigration-court-arrest-policy), [ACLU](https://aclu.org/press-releases/federal-court-strikes-down-ices-courthouse-arrest-policy-nationwide)

## 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](https://telemundo.com/noticias/noticias-telemundo/inmigracion/ice-prohibe-las-persecuciones-a-alta-velocidad-y-endurece-las-reglas-p-rcna600999), [CNN en Español](https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2026/10/01/eeuu/trump-ice-detenciones-vehiculos-agentes-trax)

## 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](https://npr.org/2026/10/01/nx-s1-5986224/renee-good-ice-lawsuit-minneapolis), [Sahan Journal](https://sahanjournal.com/news/renee-good-family-sues-federal-government-ice-metro-surge-shooting), [Bloomberg Law](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/renee-goods-family-files-lawsuit-over-her-death-in-ice-shooting)

## 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](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/05/2026-15842/proposed-information-collection-activity-monitoring-and-compliance-for-office-of-refugee)
- **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](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/11/2026-16313/mandatory-electronic-filing-e-filing)
- **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](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/01/2026-20187/fiscal-year-2027-inflation-adjustment-to-hr-1-immigration-fees)
- **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](https://blog.cyrusmehta.com/2026/09/additional-h-1b-barriers-outside-the-statute-the-september-18-executive-order-on-layoffs-and-the-extension-of-the-100000-proclamation.html)

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](https://19thnews.org/2026/10/poll-pregnant-postpartum-immigrants)
- **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](https://kjzz.org/fronteras-desk/2026-10-01/homebuilders-say-ice-workplace-raids-are-stoking-fear-adding-to-already-strained-labor-shortage), [Marketplace](https://marketplace.org/story/2026/09/30/immigration-crackdown-adds-delays-costs-to-construction-sector), [Axios](https://axios.com/local/richmond/2026/09/28/virginia-homebuilders-ice-enforcement-construction)
- **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](https://wfsb.com/2026/10/01/new-connecticut-law-restricts-ice-schools-hospitals-church)
- **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](https://lamag.com/news/mayor-bass-signs-new-immigration-enforcement-ordinance), [NBC Los Angeles](https://nbclosangeles.com/news/local/los-angeles-police-immigration-record/3949399)
- **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](https://nj.com/essex/2026/10/federal-immigration-arrest-outside-nj-elementary-school-prompts-shelter-in-place.html)