Trump Tightens Immigration Controls: Asylum Paused, Green Cards and Visas Under Review

President Donald Trump has enacted a broad set of immigration measures after the recent shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, actions that have paused or tightened many routes for foreign entry to the United States. The moves — which include halting asylum decisions, reviewing Biden-era approvals, reexamining green cards from designated countries, expanding travel bans and tightening work- and student-visa rules — have left millions of immigrants and applicants facing additional uncertainty.

Key actions announced

The administration has taken several immediate steps:

• USCIS paused asylum adjudications while it expands vetting procedures and said it will review asylum grants made under the previous administration.
• Officials announced a “reexamination” of green-card holders from a set of countries the administration has identified as concerning.
• Homeland Security leadership has proposed expanding the presidential travel ban list from the current 19 countries to as many as 30–32 countries.
• DHS has signaled moves to rescind or narrow Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations and reduced the annual refugee ceiling to 7,500 admissions.
• H-1B and other work-visa rules were tightened, including a new $100,000 application fee for H-1B filings and a narrowed definition of "specialty occupation."
• The State Department has revoked or refused thousands of student visas this year and issued fewer visas overall compared with prior years.

What officials say

"We’re going back on all of these folks that have applied for asylum, people that would be traveling to this country, and looking at more information, what their social media platforms they may have visited, the communications that they have, biometric information and data that we can collect from them, but also from their government too." — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem

Who is affected

The measures affect a wide range of people: asylum seekers (more than 2.2 million were awaiting asylum decisions or hearings as of August 2025, according to TRAC), green-card holders from designated countries, TPS beneficiaries from multiple nations, refugees, international students and foreign workers on temporary visas. Reviewing green cards or reopening previously decided asylum cases could involve tens of thousands of files and create extended delays.

Legal and practical limits

Legal challenges to executive actions are already common and will likely continue. Immigration experts note that while a president can change many administrative policies and enforcement priorities, comprehensive reform of the immigration system requires legislation from Congress. Courts and federal procedural rules often constrain how far the executive branch can go in reversing or reshaping immigration protections.

Border security and construction

The administration has emphasized border security as a central priority: it declared a border emergency, deployed additional military personnel for logistical support, and awarded contracts to build new barrier segments along the southern border. Officials say such measures contributed to declines in crossings in the early months of the administration.

Work visas, students and agriculture

Changes to H-1B rules aim to prioritize U.S. workers according to the administration, while industry groups warn of labor shortages in key sectors. Agriculture remains an area of relative caution for the administration because the sector relies heavily on seasonal and migrant labor. International students have faced heightened scrutiny, with several thousand visas revoked this year for a range of reasons, including alleged support for extremist organizations and past criminal conduct.

What to expect next

Many of these policies will face litigation and administrative review. Timelines for expanded travel bans, green-card reexaminations and TPS terminations are unclear. For now, immigrants, their attorneys and service providers must navigate an increasingly complex and fast-changing set of rules and enforcement practices.

Data and sources: Policy announcements and statements by Department of Homeland Security officials and USCIS; case counts from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC); statements from immigration advocacy groups and legal experts.