How the Trump administration restricted legal immigration to the US

The Trump administration, in an attempt to reduce the influx of immigrants to the United States, is tightening the screws on virtually all categories of legal immigration. These restrictions include freezing procedures by the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and refusing to process applications from outside the country by the State Department, writes Forbes.

These changes affect US citizens who want to bring their spouses, children, and other relatives to the country, as well as employers seeking employees. Economists note that the US economy requires more labor to thrive, but the administration's actions are actually reducing the supply.

The policy is overseen by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the chief architect of Donald Trump's immigration program.

"The Trump administration's policies will reduce legal immigration to the United States by 33-50%, or 1,5-2,4 million people, by the end of his four-year term," according to a January 2026 analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy.

On the subject: A Russian woman spent a month in immigration detention despite having no document problems.

In an earlier report, the Fund accounted for labor force losses due to other policies, including deportations and the end of the Temporary Protected Areas program, and concluded: “Because of these fewer workers, the U.S. economy could lose about 19 million person-years of labor by 2028 and 102 million by 2035. Total output of goods and services would decline by $1,9 trillion, or $5,612 per person, between 2025 and 2028, and by $12,1 trillion, or $34,369 per person, between 2025 and 2035.” The analysts concluded that economic growth would decline by about a third and the federal debt would increase.

Immigration restrictions apply to all categories. Administration officials refused to process approximately 55,000 applications for diversity visas, a category Trump attempted to abolish during his first term. Instead of attempting to amend or repeal it through lawmakers, the administration effectively closed the door to entry or adjustment of status for lottery winners. Then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem cited the actions of the shooter at Brown University, who had received permanent status through the program eight years earlier, as the reason for suspending the program. The shooter killed a professor and then took his own life.

The administration's policy is as follows: an incident occurs, and after it, immigration rules are tightened to the maximum extent possible.

The green card lottery is limited to countries from which relatively few people come to the US through other immigration programs. This isn't due to the political status of the countries, but rather to statistics: if a country already produces a large number of immigrants, it's usually excluded from the lottery; if it produces a small number of immigrants, it's eligible. Therefore, Israel, Australia, Finland, France, and Japan are among the countries considered underrepresented in the US immigration system.

Despite lawsuits, the administration is essentially delaying application processing and making participation in the program potentially detrimental to obtaining a green card. As a result, the program effectively loses its appeal because applications are not processed to the final stage or are not processed within the required deadlines.

According to the program's rules, all procedures must be completed by September 30, 2026. If a person has not received a visa or status by this date, their participation is automatically cancelled and no longer grants any rights.

Among other measures, the administration completely halted the admission of refugees, with the exception of white citizens of South Africa. This approach—allowing only one category—wasn't predicted even by Trump's harshest critics before his second term. The National Foundation for American Policy estimates that the freeze and subsequent reduction of annual quotas below the 125,000 level set in the final year of the Biden administration will lead to a reduction in legal immigration of approximately 470,000 people over four years.

The most serious consequences were caused by the decree of December 16, 2025. It affects migrants themselves, employers, US citizens wishing to relocate relatives, and universities. Citizens of 39 countries are barred from entering the US—in whole or in part—on immigrant or temporary visas. The list includes Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, as well as Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Haiti.

On January 14, 2026, the administration announced that the US State Department would suspend immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals, according to the authorities, overuse public assistance. The restriction will remain in effect until the authorities are satisfied that new immigrants will not "take advantage" of US taxpayer funds.

The lists of 75 and 39 countries overlap, totaling 93 countries. According to the Fund's analysis, 481,460 individuals from these countries received permanent status in fiscal year 2023, including 206,550 spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens.

In June, a federal court overturned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' policy of freezing and denying applications for many categories, including asylum, in the case of Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS. In July, a federal district court denied the administration's request to stay this decision.

Three class action lawsuits continue to challenge the administration's policies. Red Eagle Law v. Edlow, in the Northern District of California, concerns the practice of freezing applications for citizens of certain countries. Attorney Curtis Morrison noted that the Dorcas decision prohibits such freezes, but the government appealed, and Justice Charles Breyer decided to rule on the written record. Medani v. Trump, also in the Northern District of California, challenges the suspension of diversity visas; a hearing is scheduled for August 27 before Judge Edward Davila. Syed v. Trump, in the Central District of California, addresses the freeze on 75 countries; a hearing is scheduled for September 21 before Judge John Kronstadt. Red Eagle Law is serving as lead counsel in all three cases.

The government failed to respond to the motions for a temporary injunction and class certification by the August 10 deadline in Syed v. Trump. Judge Kronstadt ruled: "Defendants have until August 19, 2026, to file their objections or notice of failure to do so. Failing that, the motions will be deemed uncontested."

The administration also uses the public charge rule. (The public charge rule is a criterion by which US immigration authorities assess whether a person will be able to support themselves. If officials believe a person is likely to rely on government benefits, they may be denied a visa or a green card.) Approx. Ed.)

In July 2026, the US Department of Homeland Security approved a new version of this rule, repealing the 2022 version and giving officials greater discretion to deny permanent status. This could lead to US citizens being denied the opportunity to bring their spouses, children, parents, and siblings based on assumptions about future income or use of public assistance. Meanwhile, family immigrants typically rapidly increase their incomes and are ineligible for federal benefits for at least the first five years. According to research by economist Mark Regets, the real income of such immigrants increases by 76% over 12 years.

Immigration lawyers Cyrus Mehta and Damira Zhanatova note that the new rule gives officials even more authority to deny adjustment of status, especially given the internal USCIS memo requiring "exceptional discretion." They argue that the administration is openly demonstrating a negative stance toward immigration—both legal and illegal—and the public charge rule is becoming an additional tool of restriction.

In a new Board of Immigration Appeals decision, the administration stated that people will no longer be able to leave the country with advance parole and return with legal entry. This could deprive DACA recipients of the opportunity to marry a U.S. citizen and obtain permanent status upon return, notes attorney Charles Cook.

To meet apprehension targets, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun arresting people with pending applications, including those sponsored by U.S. citizen spouses.

The New York Times reported on a Russian-born woman who applied for asylum, married an American, and was awaiting a green card decision. She was detained at the airport and sent to a detention center.

"The Trump administration is deliberately targeting a U.S. citizen and his future U.S. citizen spouse, diverting law enforcement resources from the real lawbreakers," said former Department of Homeland Security official Doug Rand.

Immigrants arriving through work-based programs are also facing new challenges. Proposed changes could displace many H-1B visa holders from the labor market due to wage adjustments. Additional changes to labor certification rules could complicate the process of obtaining permanent status by expanding employer responsibilities under the PERM process.

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The Trump administration has already significantly reduced legal immigration in 2026 and intends to continue doing so in 2027 and 2028. The main impact, in addition to the economy, will fall on US citizens who are not allowed to live in the country with close relatives, including spouses.

"I'm struck by how focused the mass deportation agenda is on reducing legal immigration," Curtis Morrison emphasized. "And the administration isn't shy about it."

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