Everyone's focused on arrest numbers. Meanwhile, two quiet policy changes have turned the benefits side of DHS into a front door to removal proceedings.
— Scott Mechkowski (@ScottMechkowski) October 1, 2026
February 2025: USCIS memo PM-602-0187 expanded when officers issue a Notice to Appear after denying an application to someone…
Everyone's focused on arrest numbers. Meanwhile, two quiet policy changes have turned the benefits side of DHS into a front door to removal proceedings.
February 2025: USCIS memo PM-602-0187 expanded when officers issue a Notice to Appear after denying an application to someone who isn't lawfully present. That includes people whose green card or status applications get denied. Under the old policy, USCIS handed these cases off to ICE to decide. Not anymore. USCIS files the charges itself now. In its first three and a half months, USCIS put more than 26,700 people into removal proceedings.
This is huge …
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