A snapshot of immigration policy from the New York Times

These two New York Times articles provide a good snapshot of immigration policy today. First, creation of panic, chaos, and obfuscation of immigration policy. Last week USCIS announced that adjustment of status (applying for permanent residence while in the US) would be unavailable to all except in extraordinary circumstances. Yesterday, they (maybe) walked it back to some degree:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/us/politics/green-cards-dhs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mVA.Gq3U.II1cvgJKEl0A&smid=url-share

Meanwhile, USCIS officers are conducting interviews in which they have begun asking specific questions about why applicants did not consular process and what factors make their cases extraordinary. We have heard of officers stating that they intended to deny cases because of the lack of extraordinary circumstances. Decisions have been halted nationwide because the USCIS officers on the ground do not have sufficient guidance about a policy that was positioned to reverse 70 years of immigration policy. What is the real policy now? How should immigrants and their counsel plan if they don't know whether USCIS will be following the immigration laws or how they will interpret those laws?

Today's NYC article discusses the more subtle negative impacts of Trump’s policies on legal immigrants who are simply trying to live, work and support their families here. New restrictions, such as the prohibition of certain legal immigrants from working at airports, obtaining commercial driver’s licenses, and obtaining small business loans, are aimed at making life harder for immigrants, so that they will just leave. There has been no consideration for how this will impact the rest of the community, who rely on immigrants to remain in the workforce.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/us/politics/trump-immigrants-health-housing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mVA.knqI.AdKc1I0MLUMU&smid=nytcore-ios-share

The impact will be extreme. Homelessness and poverty of legal immigrants, many with U.S. Citizen children, is expected to rise, and the Trump Administration sees this as a welcome feature of its plans. DHS aims to make its policies, opaque, arbitrary, and cruel.