Trump Administration Downplays Green Card Rule Affecting 112,100 Californians as Legal Challenges Loom
Updated
Updated · CalMatters · Jun 4
Trump Administration Downplays Green Card Rule Affecting 112,100 Californians as Legal Challenges Loom
3 articles · Updated · CalMatters · Jun 4
Summary
DHS said the new directive is not a blanket rule, after a memo before Memorial Day appeared to require many temporary visa holders and parolees to leave the U.S. and await green cards abroad.
That walk-back followed panic among immigrant families, lawyers and employers because the memo broke with a 70-year adjustment-of-status practice that lets applicants stay in the country while cases are processed.
112,100 Californians got green cards through adjustment of status in 2023—nearly one in five U.S. cases—and attorneys say family-based applicants, laid-off tech workers, mixed-status families and students could be hit hardest.
Lawyers say USCIS officers are already asking applicants why they are filing inside the U.S., raising fears the policy could be applied retroactively and turn interviews into deportation traps for people whose original visas expired during long backlogs.
More than 70 countries have halted visa processing, and forced departures could trigger 3- to 10-year reentry bans, setting up what immigration groups and California officials say is a likely court fight.
How can green card applicants avoid the 'deportation trap' now that minor visa overstays are heavily scrutinized?
Is this reinterpretation of a 70-year-old law a valid policy shift or a legal overreach by the administration?
600,000 Green Card Applicants at Risk: California Reacts to Trump’s 2026 Immigration Overhaul
Overview
In late May 2026, the Trump administration issued a new policy that dramatically changed the process for immigrants seeking permanent residency in the U.S. Most temporary visa holders and humanitarian parolees are now required to return to their home countries to wait for green card processing, reversing a longstanding rule that allowed them to stay in the U.S. during this time. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did not clearly define who might be exempt, and officials only vaguely mentioned possible exceptions for those providing economic benefits or serving the national interest. This sudden change caused widespread panic and confusion, especially in California’s large immigrant community, as many families were left uncertain about their future.