The Department of Homeland Security continues a sweeping overhaul of the immigration system as leaders push to restore Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels after years of rising operational strain. President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow now drive a coordinated effort to tighten controls, strengthen vetting, and bring long-ignored statutes back into full force. Their plan seeks to deliver a firm return to commonsense legal immigration levels while protecting American workers and communities.
Officials describe the shift as the most aggressive reset in two decades. They argue that the system reached its limits due to mass migration pressures, program abuse, and years of inconsistent enforcement. The administration now uses clear authority to align the immigration framework with national security goals, economic stability, and public trust.
USCIS Moves to Rebalance Programs to Maintain Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels
USCIS leaders say the agency needs stronger tools to manage rising fraud, overstays, and pressure from humanitarian programs. The agency closed long-standing loopholes and applied Congressional intent to every category. Officials emphasize that these steps support the broader goal of Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels and strengthen screening for all applicants.
The agency ended categorical parole programs that once offered broad entry pathways to nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. USCIS now reviews each parole request individually. Officials say this method reflects statutory requirements and supports commonsense legal immigration levels enforcement strategies that match real national capacity.
Temporary Protected Status also changed. Secretary Noem ended designations for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria, and South Sudan. DHS encouraged individuals without lawful status to use the CBP Home app to arrange departures. The administration argues that this move aligns the system with commonsense legal immigration levels policy goals while reducing long-term backlogs.
Screening and Enforcement Strengthen Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels
Since January 20, 2025, USCIS increased referrals to law enforcement and tightened in-facility security operations. The agency referred nearly 3,200 individuals with removal orders, warrants, or criminal indicators to ICE and other agencies. Those referrals led to almost 2,000 arrests at USCIS facilities. Officials say this surge reflects a deliberate return to commonsense legal immigration levels enforcement strategies designed to reduce risks and maintain order.
USCIS also made 13,225 referrals to ICE for fraud, national security concerns, and public safety indicators. This includes 320 cases involving individuals connected to foreign terrorist organizations. Agency leaders highlight these actions as evidence of a serious shift toward strengthening commonsense legal immigration levels reforms across the system.
Major Fraud Operations Support Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels
Fraud enforcement formed a core part of the agency’s new strategy. Operation Twin Shield in Minnesota uncovered a large marriage-fraud ring, student-visa abuses, H-1B manipulation, and one applicant with known terrorist ties. The action marked the largest fraud investigation in USCIS history.
Also in September, USCIS partnered with the Justice Department, FBI, and other DHS components to dismantle a multimillion-dollar conspiracy involving asylum fraud, human trafficking, and money laundering.
New Vetting Tools Reinforce the Policy Shift
USCIS expanded its review of social media and public behavior to detect anti-American ideologies or security concerns. Officers now consider such evidence when assessing discretionary immigration benefits. In FY25, USCIS completed 12,502 individual social-media checks.
The agency argues that these tools allow officers to protect national interests while upholding commonsense legal immigration levels policy standards. Officers look for open endorsements of extremist activity and other high-risk indicators that previously went unnoticed.
USCIS Expands Workforce
The new system requires stronger institutional capacity. USCIS launched a large hiring campaign on September 30, receiving nearly 35,000 applications for positions tied to vetting and enforcement. These applicants form the core of “Homeland Defenders,” a specialized workforce designed to uphold Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels through faster processing, deeper review, and direct cooperation with law-enforcement agencies.
USCIS also gained new law-enforcement authority under a DHS final rule published in September 2025. These powers allow USCIS special agents to investigate, arrest, and pursue prosecution for immigration violations. Leaders say these steps build a modern enforcement structure that reflects Congressional intent.
USCIS Tightens Naturalization Rules to Support the New Policy
The naturalization process now includes expanded civics testing and deeper character assessments. USCIS introduced a revised civics test with more questions in October to ensure new citizens understand American history and government. Leaders say this approach confirms that citizenship remains a meaningful and respected commitment.
The agency also reintroduced neighborhood investigations to verify applicants’ claims about identity, residence, conduct, and community ties.
USCIS updated guidelines on good moral character by emphasizing positive contributions rather than simply the absence of criminal behavior. This shift supports stronger community standards and increases confidence in the process.
Notices to Appear Mark a Major Shift in Immigration Enforcement
USCIS resumed broad issuance of Notices to Appear. Since February 2025, officers issued more than 172,000 NTAs to removable individuals. The agency no longer exempts categories or classes of aliens from enforcement.
Officials say this approach strengthens accountability, reduces long-term overstays, and supports a credible immigration structure aligned.
Employment Authorization Rules Align With Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels
DHS ended the practice of automatic EAD extensions for certain categories. Renewal applicants must now complete full screening before they receive extended authorization. DHS argues that this rule protects American workers, limits system abuse, and helps maintain balanced legal immigration standards in high-demand job sectors.
Voter-Verification Overhaul Supports the Policy Shift
The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program received major upgrades. DHS and the Social Security Administration created a unified verification system that checks immigration status and citizenship with full or partial Social Security numbers.
State and local authorities now run faster and more accurate verification queries. The system processed more than 46 million checks after the upgrade. DHS also removed all fees for government users and integrated criminal records and address histories to strengthen screening. Officials describe SAVE as a crucial tool that protects election integrity and supports broader Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels enforcement.
Public-Charge Rules Support Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels
USCIS reaffirmed the long-standing statutory requirement that applicants must show they will not become public charges. Officers use clear evidence to determine whether applicants can support themselves without government dependency. The memo clarifies that the burden of proof sits with each applicant.
This renewed approach aligns the benefit-adjudication system with balanced legal immigration standards by ensuring that economic stability remains a central element of immigration policy.
H-1B Payment Requirement Reinforces Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels
The President’s proclamation on high-skill visa reform reshaped the H-1B landscape. As of September 21, each petition requires an additional $100,000 payment. The administration says this measure reduces exploitation, protects American workers, and supports the new policy in employment-based admissions.
Read also: US Immigration Agency Begins Demand for 100K H-1B Fee
Conclusion
The United States now moves through one of the most decisive immigration resets in recent history. DHS and USCIS leaders no longer rely on temporary fixes or symbolic enforcement. They pursue clear statutes, tougher screening, and stronger accountability to deliver a long-term return to Commonsense Legal Immigration Levels. Their strategy reshapes parole programs, strengthens vetting, reinforces naturalization standards, and restores the enforcement tools that the system ignored for years.
This shift carries national consequences. American workers gain stronger labor protections. Communities gain a more predictable immigration structure. Law-enforcement agencies gain coordinated support for complex cases. And lawful applicants gain a system that rewards merit, transparency, and genuine compliance.
As this reset continues, policymakers and federal agencies face the test of sustaining order while protecting America’s security and economic stability. The direction now points toward stronger institutions, clearer boundaries, and an immigration framework that reflects the country’s long-standing commitment to fairness and national interest.
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