On Tuesday, October 8th, the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights hosted a virtual Immigration Briefing with our community partners to cover the most recent updates in immigration.
As always, none of the below should be considered legal advice! The federal policy and legal landscape around immigration is changing rapidly, so any of the information below may soon be out of date. If you’re concerned that any of these updates may impact you, we recommend getting an immigration screening from an attorney. Visit illinoisimmigrationinfo.org/legal to get connected with legal support.
Immigration Enforcement Trends
Increasingly, immigration enforcement is moving from Operation Midway Blitz-style mass detentions to a more invisible—but just as insidious—disappearing and disenfranchising of people. Here are some of the latest updates:
- Detainees Disappearing from Online Locator System: ICE is hiding the location of detainees with final removal orders, making it nearly impossible for lawyers and loved ones to find them.
- Law Enforcement Collaborating with ICE: The Trump administration is expanding 287g agreements, which allows state and local law enforcement to collaborate with the federal government to enforce immigration laws. These agreements are now present in 38 states and 2 US territories. Thankfully, Illinois prohibits such agreements, but unfortunately neighboring states do not.
- Chaos in court. The Trump administration continues to enact policies that erode due process and make it more difficult for immigrants to navigate the court system, including:
- Mega-master hearings are resulting in more and more people—many of them children—are being given orders of removal without due process.
- Legal court observers are increasingly being denied from exercising their right to observe court proceedings to make sure that people’s rights are being upheld;
- Court hearings are being held in non-traditional buildings, including ICE facilities, which is reducing attendance, and appears to be yet another tactic from DHS to circumvent due process.
- Barriers to Relief
- New public charge rule is restricting relief: in the updated 2026 Final Public Charge Rule, immigration officials can now count any use of any public benefit, from both an applicant or their family, as an excuse to deny them immigration relief. You can check out the Public Charge Regulation Toolkit for Protecting Immigrant Families to learn more.
- Fee increases for immigrant status applications: USCIS is raising immigration-related fees beginning this month, which will impact asylum seekers, those applying for work permits, parole, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
We encourage members of the community to keep contacting your Congressional representatives about these due process violations! If you are vulnerable to immigration enforcement, consult with an attorney or accredited representative.
Federal Policy Updates
Civil Immigration Fines
The Trump administration is exploiting a 30-year old law to impose financially ruinous fines on immigrants waiting on relief. The Immigration and Nationality Act, which was passed in 1996, allows for fines up to $998 per day to be issued to anyone with a final order of removal that willfully refuses to leave the country.
Since its passage in 1996, these fines have never been imposed. But the Trump administration is changing that. They have issued more than 65,000 fines—including some fines of up to $1.8 million for a single individual. And last June, they issued an Interim Final Rule, which removed procedural protections like the ability to appeal, and halving the window of time that people have to respond.
This is important, many immigrants are remaining in the country because they are in the process of pursuing immigration relief that would give them legal status. This is the case for the two plaintiffs in Maria L. v. Mullin, and one of those plaintiffs has in fact been since approved as a lawful permanent resident.
By attempting to impose these fines, the Trump administration is once again trying to circumvent the legal process to pressure people into self-deporting.
Thankfully, a Massachusetts judge recently issued an injunction on all fines issued after June 27th, 2025, stating that the government’s fines are likely unlawful due to ICE and DHS failing to adequately consider individual circumstances.
IRS Citizenship Question
A new rule from the the Trump administration would require taxpayers to disclose their citizenship and work authorization status on their taxes. The question, which was included on the draft Form 1040 released in August, reads: “At the time you file your return, are you, and your spouse if filing jointly, a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an alien lawfully authorized to work in the U.S.?”
Litigation is expected if and when the policy goes into effect.
Temporary Protected Status
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for three more countries has now been announced:
- Lebanon: November 27, 2026
- Sudan: October 19, 2026
- Ukraine: October 19, 2026
TPS for El Salvador remains active for the moment, as formal termination was not done properly through noticing administrative channels. Those without status or who will soon lose status are encouraged to speak to a trusted immigration attorney to discuss options.
Supreme Court Updates
Third Country Deportations
The Supreme Court decided last month to let the Trump Administration continue to deport people to countries other than their own, while they consider the merits of the case. The hearing on the case is scheduled for December 2026, but until then, the Trump administration has been allowed to continue deporting people to countries that they have no connection to whatsoever.
Mandatory Detention
The Supreme Court will hear Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha, a case that challenges the Trump administration’s policy of detaining immigrants indefinitely without bond as their deportation proceedings move forward. Most courts that have considered the issue have ruled that this policy is unconstitutional. A hearing is tentatively scheduled for early 2027.
City Updates
First, some good news: as a result of public pressure, Stonepeak Partners, the proposed buyers of the city’s parking meters, sold Omni Air, the airline responsible for the majority of ICE deportation flights. We are deeply grateful to the community members who spoke up in support of our city’s values.
Secondly: O2025-0021035, an ordinance requiring full disclosure about any companies working with or profiting from immigration enforcement services, passed City Council last month!
Here is some of the other legislation we have coming up:
- O2026-0023361: Eliminate post-towing obligations and fees of vehicles that are abandoned or damaged as a result of federal immigration enforcement actions. This legislation is currently in negotiation, so be sure to contact your City Council member and ask for their support!
- Or2026-0028873: Executive Director of Public Safety Administration directed to conduct audit of each city vendor that maintains, manages, or otherwise provides automatic license plate readers to determine city compliance with TRUST Act. This legislation was introduced last month, and we encourage you to contact your City Council member to ask for their support!
Join the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights tomorrow, October 15th, 10:30am at City Hall (121 N. LaSalle, City Council Chambers) to hear from the Community Commissioner for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) on their oversight efforts on Chicago Police Department (CPD) interaction with federal immigration enforcement. We invite you to attend and/or sign up to give in-person, virtual, or written public comment. Learn how at 40thward.org/CIRR!
Good News!
- Perdomo v. Mullin: A federal court blocked the Trump administration from continuing its unlawful practice of conducting warrantless arrests without first determining the flight risk of the person before a warrant can be obtained. This case also certifies a class of individuals who have been or will be arrested by federal agents without a warrant and without the risk assessment. While the ruling is limited to Southern California, this is another step forward in holding the government accountable for illegal immigration enforcement practices.
- Venegas v. Homan: A federal court in Alabama issued a ruling that blocks immigration officers from conducting warrantless arrests on private construction sites, detaining workers without individualized suspicion, and continuing to hold workers even after they produced evidence of lawful status or citizenship.
Calls to Action
There are several opportunities this month to make your voice heard by your city and federal representatives, and to support immigrants and refugees in our city!
- Close the Data-Sharing Loophole: Commissioners Vasquez, Anaya and Stamps have a bill to prevent county data from being shared with ICE/DHS.
- Call your County Commissioners by Oct 20 to vote YES: Advance 26-2426 in Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
- Find your Commissioner here!
- Protect access to legal representation:
- Ask Your Congressional Reps to Support the American Dream & Promise Act Discharge Petition
- On July 20, 2026, Representative Sylvia García (D-TX-29) filed a discharge petition that aims to force consideration of the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 1589).
- This bill was introduced by Rep. García on February 26, 2025 and combines two initiatives that create a pathway to regularization for Dreamers and DACA, TPS, and DED beneficiaries.
- They are currently at 217 signatures. Find and contact your Member of Congress here to make sure they sign on!
- Stop additional funding for mass detention and deportation
- On September 1, 2026, the House passed a Continuing Resolution funding the government through December 11, 2026.
- Tell your Congressperson: Not One More Dollar for ICE and Border Patrol
- Volunteer for Court Accompaniment
- ICE has been active outside courthouses, in defiance of Illinois State law. If you’d like to volunteer to accompany individuals and families to their court appearances, submit a volunteer interest form with the Sanctuary Working Group.
For more on how you can support immigrants and refugees in our communities, visit the CIRR Protecting Immigrant Rights page and Illinois Immigration Info to find out how you can get more involved.
The next immigration briefing will be on Tuesday, November 10th at 1pm! Register at bit.ly/CIRRBriefing.