A year into President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration’s immigration crackdown continues to reshape the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrants across the country.
Among the most recent developments, federal enforcement operations in Minnesota have sparked protests in San Francisco, including a general strike set for this Friday, while legal efforts to strip work permits and humanitarian protections from immigrant groups continue to be battled in court.
El Tecolote has been tracking rapidly changing immigration policies and the lawsuits that followed since the start of the Trump presidency. Here’s what has happened so far this January at a national level, in California and in San Francisco. This list will be regularly updated and republished every month as lawsuits and enforcement actions continue. You can also find a list of previous policy changes here.
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News across the country
National protests continue after ICE agents killed two U.S. citizens
As the immigration crackdown in Minnesota continues, which the Department of Homeland Security has called its biggest operation ever, fatal shootings and aggressive enforcement tactics have spurred national protests and drawn condemnation from some Republican and Democratic leaders.
On Jan. 7, an ICE agent fatally shot Renée Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Less than three weeks later, ICE agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, a registered nurse.
In the aftermath, protests over the shootings and the broader enforcement operation have erupted across the country. On Jan. 20, the anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, demonstrators gathered nationwide to decry the administration’s immigration crackdown. In Minnesota, labor unions and community organizations called for a general strike and economic boycott on Jan. 23, with solidarity protests held in other parts of the country, including San Francisco.
Meanwhile, the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities are suing the Trump administration over the immigration enforcement operation that has been underway since late December, arguing it constitutes a retaliatory action. City and state officials are seeking an end to the crackdown through legal avenues as well as the ability for state and local authorities to investigate the shootings that have taken place. As backlash continues, Trump has sent “border czar” Tom Homan to take over directing the operations, amid reports that federal officials were urging agents to ease enforcement tactics.
Latest update: Jan. 29, 2026
Trump pauses immigrant visa processing for 75 countries
Starting Jan. 21, the Trump administration will stop issuing immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Uruguay, citing concerns that applicants from these countries are more likely to rely on government benefits.
The indefinite pause doesn’t apply to people with nonimmigrant visas, such as tourist, student or temporary work visas. It only affects people applying to live permanently in the U.S., including sponsored family members. DHS also said dual passport holders with a nationality not mentioned in the list will be exempt.
Latest update: Jan. 21, 2026
Judge blocks the end of family immigration parole
Immigrants participating in family reunification parole programs, which allow them to legally work and stay in the U.S. while they wait for green cards, received a temporary reprieve after a federal judge paused a Trump administration decision to end the visa program.
In mid-December, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would end the parole program for immigrants of several Latin American nationalities by Jan. 14. A group of immigrants filed a lawsuit in response, arguing the termination hadn’t followed due process.
In January, the federal judge granted an injunction siding with the group, preserving the legal status of more than 10,000 immigrants from Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras who are seeking to reunite with their family members in the U.S.
Latest update: Jan. 10, 2026
Judge restores Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans and Nicaraguans
In the latest in a legal battle that started last summer, a federal judge voided the Trump administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Hondurans, Nicaraguans and Nepalis, ruling that the government’s planned termination was motivated by racial hostility rather than improved conditions in those countries.
The decision preserves deportation protections and work permits for more than 60,000 immigrants with TPS from these countries, for now. DHS secretary Tricia McLaughlin denounced the decision, saying it usurped the president’s constitutional authority.
Throughout 2025, the Trump administration also moved to eliminate TPS protections of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from other countries, including Haiti, where protections are set to expire in early February, and Venezuela, which the Supreme Court allowed to proceed last October.
Latest update: Jan. 1, 2026
News in California
Lawmakers propose bill to ban law enforcement officers from taking second jobs with ICE
On Jan. 21, local San Francisco leaders and immigration advocates gathered in front of City Hall to support AB 1537, a California bill that, if passed, would ban local and state law enforcement officials from working for DHS or any of its contractors as a second job.
The bill was introduced to the California legislature on Jan. 5.
Latest update: Jan. 21, 2026
California to lose millions in federal funds over delayed revocation of immigrants’ commercial driver’s licenses
Federal transportation officials will withhold $160 million from California after the state decided to delay revoking commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants until March.
Last summer, the federal government began cracking down on those licenses, citing safety concerns, including a lack of English proficiency requirements and licenses that expired after immigrants’ work permits. Under federal pressure, California initially said it would comply and revoke around 20,000 licenses by January.
After a lawsuit filed by immigrant groups argued the drivers were being unfairly targeted, the state decided to delay revocations to allow bus and truck drivers who legally qualify more time to reapply and retain their licenses.
Latest update: Jan. 7, 2026
News in San Francisco
San Francisco’s main immigration court to close
San Francisco’s immigration court at 100 Montgomery Street will close by the end of the year, with its staff and cases expected to be moving to Concord as soon as this summer, according to courthouse staff who spoke to local media. The closure could further delay more than 120,000 pending asylum cases in San Francisco immigration court.
According to a memo sent out to immigration court staff, the court at 100 Montgomery Street will not renew its lease and will officially shut down by January 2027.
Not all immigration services will leave San Francisco, however. The building at 630 Sansome Street will remain open for now, though no judges are stationed there. The site also houses ICE’s field office and several USCIS services, including naturalization and green card programs. Affirmative asylum cases will continue to be heard in San Francisco as well.
The news was first reported by Mission Local.
Latest update: Jan. 8, 2026
ICE ordered to stop courthouse arrests in SF and improve holding cell conditions
In response to a class action lawsuit filed this fall, a Bay Area judge ordered ICE on Dec. 24 to stop arresting immigrants at San Francisco immigration courthouses, citing the “chilling effect” the practice has had on asylum seekers’ willingness to attend asylum hearings and continue with their legal cases.
Plaintiffs had an earlier victory in late November, when the court granted a preliminary injunction ordering ICE to improve conditions in its temporary holding cells at the San Francisco Field Office. The lawsuit claims that some immigrants were held for days in cells not designed for overnight stays.
The federal government tried to appeal that decision on Dec. 23, but the federal judge denied this effort on Dec. 31, reiterating that the order applies to ICE’s San Francisco field office at 630 Sansome Street as well as its secondary holding location in Sacramento.
Latest update: Dec. 31, 2025