Julian Curo-Churata dies in ICE custody in Louisiana
Julian Curo-Churata died after a medical emergency while in ICE custody in Louisiana. ICE said the 47-year-old Peruvian national, held at Richwood Correctional Center, was found in medical distress on September 28 and taken to Ochsner LSU Health Monroe Medical Center in Monroe, Louisiana. He was pronounced dead early the next day. ICE says the preliminary cause is unknown and an autopsy will determine the official cause. ICE, Tampa Free Press, Progreso Hispano News
ICE said it notified DHS oversight offices, Curo-Churata’s spouse, attorney and the Peruvian consulate, but has not publicly explained the medical episode. His habeas case was still active when he died. Immigration-data researcher Austin Kocher, in an independent analysis rather than ICE’s account, identifies Curo-Churata as the 37th person reported dead in ICE custody in fiscal 2026. Habeas Dockets, Austin Kocher, Latin Times
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Court blocks $100,000 H-1B payment
A second federal court has blocked the administration’s $100,000 H-1B payment while challenges proceed. U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. issued a preliminary injunction in Global Nurse Force v. Trump, finding challengers were likely to prevail on claims that DHS bypassed required rulemaking. The order bars enforcement of the payment, which the administration had renewed last month. JURIST, Fragomen, Global Nurse Force docket
The California ruling follows a Massachusetts order that also blocked collection, and an appeals court left that earlier injunction in place. The practical result: USCIS should not collect the $100,000 payment while the two orders remain in force. The administration could still pursue new rulemaking or continue litigating. Reason
ICE tightens vehicle-stop rules after shootings
ICE has issued tighter vehicle-stop rules after a succession of shootings and a short-lived summer pause in many traffic stops. A September 30 memorandum says officers may not pursue drivers who refuse to stop, but must record vehicle details for later investigation. Only officers with specified training may lead ordinary or high-risk stops, and vehicles used for stops must have lights and sirens. ABC News, PBS NewsHour / AP
The memo, signed by ICE Executive Associate Director Marcos D. Charles, also requires body cameras to be worn and activated. Trained officers may still use pinning or spike strips, so the directive narrows how stops are conducted rather than ending them. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin briefly paused most stops after fatal July shootings in Maine and Texas, but President Trump ordered ICE to resume them. CBS News, NPR
Maine ICE observers say surveillance data followed them to the border
Maine residents who watched ICE activity say federal agents put their photos and vehicle details into a Palantir-built case-management system used by Homeland Security Investigations. Their lawsuit says the information was collected during a January enforcement operation. Plaintiffs’ preliminary-injunction motion, WIRED, Hilton v. Noem docket
The suit says a record involving plaintiff Carlyn Williams prompted extra screening for Williams and her spouse when they returned from Canada, and it alleges agents used facial recognition. Those are allegations in an active civil case, not court findings. DHS calls the suit meritless and denies operating a domestic-terrorist database. Central Maine, Protect Democracy
One to watch: the Chelsea Cox noncitizen-voting ruling
A Miami federal judge dismissed the charge that Chelsea Cox, a noncitizen, voted in a federal election. The ruling held the federal ban unconstitutional, but it does not change Florida’s voter-registration rules or create a nationwide right for noncitizens to vote. It is a district-court ruling in one case, and the Justice Department has appealed. Opinion and order, CBS News, Fox News
Upcoming
The next four weeks.
- Oct. 5, 2026
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.
- Oct. 13, 2026
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.
- Oct. 16, 2026
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.
- Oct. 18, 2026
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.
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Around the system
Children are still reaching immigration court without lawyers. AFP reports that litigation blocked an earlier effort to cut federally funded legal services for unaccompanied children, but providers say the network remains disrupted as new contractors take over. The result is visible in courtrooms where young people and, in some cases, young parents are expected to navigate asylum claims without counsel. France 24 / AFP
Questions continue around Louisiana’s new ICE holding site. Reporting from central Louisiana describes a planned Alexandria-area facility near a major deportation-flight hub. ICE has characterized the site as a short-term staging area for families and children, while advocates point to the absence of public detail about operations and how long people could be held. NOLA.com / Gambit
ICE’s hiring drive has come with unusually rapid turnover. Workforce data reviewed by USA Today, and reported by the Washington Examiner, show more than 2,900 ICE employees left in the first half of 2026 even as the agency continued a large hiring push. The report says resignations and firings—not retirements—made up most departures, renewing concerns about fast recruiting, vetting and training. Washington Examiner
Latino voters are souring on Trump and Republicans, a new NBC News/Telemundo poll finds. Among Latino registered voters, Democrats led 59%–35% on which party should control Congress. Two-thirds said the administration’s deportation policies had gone too far, and Trump’s approval rating with the group was 27%. NBC News
Columbia Journalism School has paused admissions to its M.A. program for a year. Dean Jelani Cobb said the school is reworking a degree created in a very different media market; Reuters also reported that declining international applications and uncertainty over visa policy were part of the calculation. Current students and the school’s M.S. programs are not affected. NBC News / Reuters
A small North Dakota hospital is showing the local stakes of the H-1B debate. West River Hospital in Hettinger, North Dakota, employs 19 foreign workers, including Filipina ultrasound technician Marichu Castillo Villamiel, who came on an H-1B visa. The hospital has used overseas recruitment for hard-to-fill nursing and laboratory jobs while serving communities across North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. KQ2 / CNN