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Stephen Miller, an architect of Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda, becomes White House chief of staff today. Houston is scaling back police cooperation with ICE, ICE’s own reviews cite deficient care in 23 of 29 detainee deaths, a judge is making New York City give ICE the names of some Bronx shelter residents, and an 8-year-old Haitian boy is in federal custody after a San Diego check-in.
Trump elevates Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff after midterm losses
President Trump announced Nov. 6 that Stephen Miller will be White House chief of staff starting Nov. 9. Miller has pushed for 3,000 immigration arrests a day, BBC News Mundo recounts in a profile republished by Prensa Libre. [BBC News Mundo (via Prensa Libre)]
U.S. officials told CBS News they expect no pullback in enforcement, citing Miller’s promotion. Democrats plan to challenge the administration’s immigration agenda once they take control of Congress, the Associated Press reports. [CBS News, Associated Press]
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Houston police to cut back cooperation with ICE
Mayor John Whitmire announced that Houston police will reduce their cooperation with ICE after the midterm results, turning the ordinance debate covered in the Nov. 5 Daybook into city policy. [Houston Public Media]
The New York Times reports the move as a change of course for Whitmire, and KHOU gathered reactions from local officials and immigrant advocates. [The New York Times, KHOU]
ICE death investigations put medical care under scrutiny
ICE’s own investigators cited deficient medical care in 23 of the 29 detainee-death reviews obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. The reviews cover deaths from January 2025 through January 2026 and document at least eight cases in which CPR was done incorrectly or not at all. [San Francisco Chronicle]
Members of Congress are demanding answers about Guillermo Pascual Verganza’s October death at Otay Mesa Detention Center; its cause is still under investigation. [inewsource]
Judge orders NYC to give ICE names of some Bronx shelter residents
Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered New York City to give ICE identifying information for some male residents of a Bronx shelter. A court-appointed reviewer will narrow what the city hands over to residents with serious criminal histories, not the full list ICE sought, Gothamist reports. [Gothamist]
The ruling follows repeated fights over ICE subpoenas for shelter residents’ records, the New York Daily News reports. [New York Daily News]
ICE detains an 8-year-old Haitian boy at a San Diego check-in
An 8-year-old Haitian boy was taken into federal custody after a scheduled Nov. 4 immigration appointment in San Diego. DHS says his uncle could not establish legal guardianship and that the boy was placed with the Office of Refugee Resettlement. [KPBS]
School officials say the uncle was the boy’s authorized caregiver and are asking federal officials to return him. The Haitian Times also reports calls for his return. [NBC San Diego, The Haitian Times]
Upcoming
The next four weeks.
- Nov. 9, 2026
DHS proposes charging F-1 students $70,000 for an initial period of Optional Practical Training and $30,000 for a later period. The fees are not in effect: comments on the proposed rule close November 9, while comments specifically on its required paperwork and information-collection estimates close December 7.
- Nov. 10, 2026
DHS proposes ending the regulation that lets certain H-1B, O-1 and other covered workers—and their families—remain in the United States for up to 60 days after a job ends. The grace period remains in effect for now; comments on the proposal close November 10.
- Nov. 13, 2026
USCIS proposes ending the regulation that generally tells officers to give weight to an earlier approval when deciding an extension involving the same facts. The proposal is not in effect; comments close November 13.
Comments close November 13 on DHS's rule cutting from 30 days to 10 the time refugees have to answer notices proposing to terminate their status. A court has blocked the shorter deadline through November 6 for refugees sent notices October 14–27 giving them fewer than 30 days.
- Nov. 16, 2026
State unemployment agencies will have to hand over confidential unemployment compensation (UC) records — information about individual claims and claimants — to federal officials who audit the programs, including the Labor Department's internal watchdog (DOL Office of Inspector General). The stated purpose is oversight and fraud detection.
The agency that runs the immigration courts (EOIR) wants to exempt a new set of records on suspected fraud and abuse (JUSTICE/EOIR-006) from parts of the Privacy Act, so people would not be able to see or correct what those files say about them. Comments close November 16, 2026.
- Dec. 1, 2026
The Supreme Court hears argument in December on deporting people to a country that is not their own and not named in their deportation order (third-country removals), which an unsigned order on September 29 allowed to resume while the case continues. At issue is how much notice people get and how they can raise a fear of harm in that specific country; a ruling is expected in 2027.
- Dec. 3, 2026
People who entered the FY 2027 green card lottery (Diversity Visa program) are due to find out if they were selected: a court order requires the State Department to notify selectees by December 3, 2026. Whether the results come out on time may still shift with the litigation.
- Dec. 7, 2026
DHS's proposed rule charging a fee for the work permission international students get after graduating (OPT) carries a separate 60-day comment window on its paperwork and information-collection side. If the rule publishes October 8, 2026, that window would close around December 7; the published notice sets the actual date.
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Around the system
Immigrant foster children in Massachusetts are being served removal orders. Foster placement does not itself confer immigration status, and Special Immigrant Juvenile classification can leave children waiting years for a visa before they can apply for permanent residency. [MassLive]
A federal judge ordered the release of former DACA beneficiary Iván De Haro Villagrana on Nov. 2, finding his warrantless immigration arrest during a North Dakota traffic stop unlawful. His DACA protection had not been renewed since around 2021, after a drunken-driving conviction. [Univision]
Wisconsin state trooper Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe was released from ICE custody on Nov. 6, his lawyer said. He remains in removal proceedings under supervision, with regular ICE check-ins and monitoring. [WEAU]
A federal judge threw out the Justice Department’s challenge to Philadelphia’s ordinance barring the city from holding people otherwise eligible for release solely on immigration grounds. Judge Chad F. Kenney ruled that complying with ICE detainer requests is voluntary. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
New York’s attorney general and governor told county executives and sheriffs to end agreements to house people for federal civil immigration violations by Nov. 25, as the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act requires. Detention for pending federal criminal charges, court orders or judicial warrants is still allowed. [New York Attorney General]
New Mexico immigrant groups urged lawmakers to restrict local police handoffs to ICE, releasing records they say show cooperation through traffic stops, jail lists and direct transfers. Two state lawmakers are drafting legislation for the session that begins in January. [Source New Mexico]
AILA and the American Immigration Council urged DHS to withdraw its proposed Optional Practical Training fees: $70,000 for an initial period and $30,000 for a later one. [AILA]
Scammers are using AI-generated impersonations of immigration lawyers and copied TikTok videos to sell fake legal services. The accounts steer prospective clients to contact and payment details unconnected to the real law firms. [Documented]