Trump Administration's 2026 Immigration Policy Changes: Travel Bans, Border Security, and Visas

Key Immigration Policy Shifts for 2026

• ✈️ A new travel ban affects residents of seven countries, cited as a national security measure.
• 📈 The Trump administration contrasts its migrant encounter numbers (under 130,000) with the Biden administration's (over 1.5 million).
• ⚠️ Despite reduced encounters, "gotaway" numbers remain a concern, with an average of 48 individuals evading law enforcement daily.

H1B Visa Program Overhaul

• 💡 The H1B visa program will see a major shift in February, ending the random lottery system.
• 💰 Visas will be steered towards higher-paying, highly skilled jobs, with a new $100,000 application fee aimed at protecting American wages.
• 🎯 Officials argue the previous system allowed for undercutting of US workers.

Enhanced Border and Citizenship Screening

• 📸 US Customs and Border Protection will now collect facial recognition data from all non-citizens, including green card holders, at all entry points.
• 📱 Foreign travelers may soon need to provide 5 years of social media history for travel authorization applications, linked to national security.
• 📝 The US citizenship test has been updated, doubling oral questions to 20 and requiring more correct answers to pass.

New Residency and Marriage Scrutiny

• 💰 A "Trump Gold card" program offers expedited lawful permanent residency for a $1 million investment, potentially generating over $100 billion.
• 🤝 USCIS will place greater emphasis on "cohabitation" for green card marriages, requiring more than just a marriage decree.

State-Level Immigration Enforcement in Texas

• ⚖️ Texas is implementing SB8, mandating sheriffs to enter into 287G agreements with ICE.
• 🤝 This partnership allows specially trained deputies to verify immigration status and conduct limited federal enforcement within local jails.
• 💬 Supporters claim it strengthens state-federal coordination, while critics cite increased costs and responsibilities for local law enforcement.