THE WEEK’S US BORDER NEWS IN BRIEF:
Major immigration and border developments for the week of December 20, 2025, include ICE detention & hiring expansions, an ICE double-shooting incident in Maryland, significant structural changes to the visa system, and new travel restrictions.
ICE Plans & Officer-Involved Shooting
ICE Warehouse Prisons: The Trump administration plans to open warehouses throughout the United States to house up to 80,000 detained migrants who are slated for deportation, according to The Washington Post.
Record Hiring: ICE is on track to hire 10,000 new officers by the end of 2025 following its “Defend the Homeland” recruitment campaign, which received over 220,000 applications.
Shots Fired: Federal agents shot into a van during an immigration operation in Maryland on Christmas Eve in an incident that left two men hospitalized. The DHS says the driver refused to turn off the engine and “drove his van directly at ICE officers,” hitting ICE vehicles as he tried to flee.
Major Policy Shifts
H-1B Visa Overhaul: On December 23, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finalized a rule replacing the random lottery for H-1B work visas with a wage-weighted selection process. Effective for the FY 2027 cap (starting February 2026), the system will prioritize higher-skilled, higher-paid applicants to protect American wages.
Expanded Travel Ban: A presidential proclamation effective January 1, 2026, expands entry restrictions. New countries added to the “full restriction” list include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, while 15 other nations face partial restrictions.
Legal & Regional Updates
H-1B Fee Ruling: A federal court in Washington ruled in favor of the administration’s $100,000 fee for certain H-1B petitions, dismissing challenges from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
National Guard Dispute: The Supreme Court refused to allow the federal deployment of National Guard troops to protect immigration agents in the Chicago area, siding against the administration’s claim of necessity due to weak local law enforcement.
Courthouse Arrests Blocked: A federal judge in San Francisco on Wednesday barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its Justice Department counterpart from “sweeping” civil arrests at immigration courthouses across Northern California. The Trump Administration is expected to appeal.
Sanctuary City Raids: Increased ICE activity was reported in the Midwest and New Mexico, where arrests of immigrants in 2025 have reportedly increased twelvefold compared to 2024.
Thanks for reading the US Border News Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
FINALLY, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
(Stories covered by US Border News during the past week)
And his tiger cub is rescued
Cartels don’t take a holiday
Also: a shout-out to José Feliciano
Try our newest feature: Click the button above to add US Border News as a preferred source in your Google News Feed!
I am committed to delivering a US Border Newsletter that is not only educational and insightful but also engaging and easy to digest in five minutes or less.
(How am I doing? Let me know in the comments!)
Thanks for reading The US Border News Newsletter! This post is public, so feel free to share it.
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
