Following months of debate over federal funding, President Donald Trump signed a new spending bill last week that will fund his administration’s immigration crackdown until the end of his term. The measure provides roughly $70 billion in additional funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The bill does not include funding for programs that allow immigrants to remain outside detention while their cases are pending, supporting the administration’s broader goal of increasing deportations and limiting legal pathways.
El Tecolote has been tracking these policy changes, the legal challenges against them and their impact on immigrant communities in California and the Bay Area.
Here are the latest developments from May and June. Updates from April can be found here.
National news
Following judge ruling, Trump administration restarts asylum and immigration processing
On June 12, the Trump administration announced that it will resume processing certain immigration applications, including asylum, after previously halting revisions for applicants from dozens of countries.
The announcement follows a federal judge ruling that struck down a series of Trump’s policies aimed at limiting access to asylum and other immigration benefits. Those policies included a global hold on asylum applications and a pause on immigration decisions affecting people from 39 countries, leaving many immigrants unable to obtain temporary work permits.
In his ruling, the judge said these policies were making it impossible for immigrants to remain in the U.S. and were inconsistent with U.S. immigration laws. He described the measures as being fueled by “anti-immigration” sentiments.
Latest update: June 12, 2026
Treasury Department makes it easier for banks to share data on suspected undocumented clients
Following an executive order signed in mid-May, the U.S. Department of Treasury is now providing guidance to banks that allows them to quickly share information about customers who may not have legal immigration status.
Though the Trump administration has framed the order as an attempt to combat crime and fraud, it instructs banks to look for signs that may be associated with undocumented immigrants, including the use of individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITINs). Federal officials argue that undocumented workers could introduce risk to the financial system because they may be harder to hold accountable for unpaid loans if they leave the country.
The executive order does not explicitly require banks to collect citizenship information from clients — something the banking industry has opposed for months. Historically, banks have not collected citizenship data from their customers.
Latest update: June 12, 2026
Trump administration ramps up denaturalization efforts, targeting 17 immigrants
As part of its broader denaturalization efforts, the Trump administration announced that it would seek to revoke the citizenship of 17 naturalized U.S. citizens whom officials say fraudulently obtained citizenship.
USCIS says that the people targeted committed serious crimes, including fraud and sexual abuse, and did not disclose them during the naturalization process.
The administration’s renewed emphasis on denaturalization is part of what officials say is an effort to discourage immigration fraud.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBS News that only the naturalized citizens who obtained citizenship through fraud should be concerned about these efforts.
Latest update: June 12, 2026
Not all green card applicants will have to go home, DHS clarifies
After USCIS announced that applicants would need to return to their home countries while their green card applications were processed, except in “extraordinary” cases, the Department of Homeland Security clarified that not all applicants would need to complete the process abroad, and that this decision would be left to the discretion of immigration officers reviewing individual cases.
Many details about how the policy will be implemented are still up in the air. The DHS spokesperson told the New York Times that groups that could be affected could include people who overstay their visas and immigrants from countries whose citizens frequently rely on U.S. assistance after they immigrate.
Latest update: May 29, 2026
AP report highlights medical neglect in ICE detention centers
In hundreds of federal lawsuits, immigrants held in detention centers have alleged that they are not receiving adequate medical care and that their health needs are being neglected while detained.
An Associated Press and KFF Health News investigation found that hundreds of detained immigrants did not receive medications on time, or at all, for conditions including diabetes, depression, cancer and HIV. The investigation also found that requests for medical help often went ignored for weeks.
Detention facilities maintain that they follow ICE standards and provide detainees with medical care when needed.
Latest update: June 2, 2026
U.S. Border Patrol Chief resigns
Mike Banks, who served as U.S. Border Patrol chief, is retiring from his position, according to a CBS news report. He is the latest in a series of high-ranking immigration enforcement officials to step down from the Trump administration. Banks announced his retirement to Border Patrol staff in May, saying he planned to focus on his family and ranch. On June 1, he was succeeded by Rosario ‘Pete’ Vasquez.
Latest update: June 1, 2026
Judge rejects Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee
Earlier this month, a federal judge determined that the new $100,000 annual application fee for H-1B visas — a type of visa for high-skilled workers — was unconstitutional and struck down the policy. The judge’s ruling responds to a lawsuit filed by 20 states after Trump announced plans last September to raise the cost of the visas. The administration is expected to appeal the decision.
Latest update: June 15, 2026
Judge says ICE agents should stop making warrantless arrests
On May 7, a federal judge said immigration enforcement officers should not rely on new ICE guidance that instructs them to make warrantless immigration arrests.
The judge also noted that this guidance does not require agents to consider a person’s ties to the community before determining whether they pose a flight risk and should be arrested.
DHS maintains that it has authority to conduct lawful arrests and that enforcement officers use “reasonable suspicion” when investigating potential arrestees.
Latest update: May 7, 2026
California news
California advocates concerned about ‘mega master’ immigration hearings
Legal advocates say federal immigration courts across the country have increasingly started scheduling dozens of migrants for hearings at the same time, which they are calling “mega master” immigration hearings.
Attorneys say these hearings make it more difficult for immigrants to access legal support because only a limited number of lawyers offer free legal aid at courthouses. Some advocates are also worried that some immigrants have had their court dates moved up by months or even years, increasing the likelihood that people miss their appointments and receive deportation orders.
Immigration courts across the country continue to face severe backlogs, leading many cases to take years to resolve. The Executive Office for Immigration Review told Capradio that it is adjusting schedules to make sure cases are processed in a timely and lawful manner.
Latest update: June 8, 2026
San Francisco news
ICE arrests, then releases SF asylum seeker
On May 27, ICE agents arrested a 45-year-old Peruvian asylum seeker outside of his San Francisco home. The incident, which a neighbor recorded on video, quickly drew attention from legal advocates, who successfully sought a temporary restraining order from a federal judge, resulting in the man’s release.
In an interview with the San Francisco Standard, Marvin Godoy Calderon, the man who was arrested, said he asked to see a warrant but was instead “yanked from the car and pressed facedown on the asphalt.” Agents took him first to the ICE field office at 630 Sansome St. and then transported him to a processing facility before receiving instructions to release him and return him to San Francisco.
DHS, however, has said it will continue pursuing deportation proceedings against Godoy Calderon.
Latest update: June 4, 2026
Following SF Court closure, Concord sees uptick in immigration cases
Weeks after San Francisco’s immigration court closed in early May, many immigration cases are being transferred to Concord, a city in the East Bay that also houses an immigration courthouse.
Attorneys told the Associated Press that the shift has made many cases more burdensome for immigrants and their lawyers, as reaching Concord by public transportation can be lengthy and difficult. Security at the courthouse is also strict: visitors must turn off their cell phones in front of security guards and can only bring water in clear bottles.
Latest update: May 22, 2026