Policy Update: 9/28/2026
Indiana ICE sweep and congressional push to make enforcement policies permanent
What’s happening
ICE carried out a five-day operation in Indiana from August 30 through September 3 and reported 426 arrests.
Senator Jim Banks cited the operation while urging Congress to codify Trump administration immigration policies that could otherwise be changed by a future administration.
His seven-bill package addresses birthright citizenship, family-based immigration, H-1B visas, noncitizen commercial driver’s licenses, and congressional authority over Temporary Protected Status.
Banks also renewed support for the SAVE Act, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Why it matters
The proposal would shift key enforcement and eligibility rules from executive policy into federal law, making them harder for a later administration to reverse. The report also highlights growing coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement in immigration operations.
Impact
Increased enforcement activity may raise the risk of arrest, detention, and family separation, including in communities far from the border.
Legislative changes involving family immigration, employment visas, TPS, and birthright citizenship could affect both undocumented immigrants and people with lawful or pending status.
Proof-of-citizenship requirements could create added documentation burdens for naturalized citizens and other eligible voters.
Sources
Massive ICE sweep fuels GOP push to lock Trump immigration crackdown into law
USCIS changes how weekend and holiday deadlines apply to age-based eligibility
What’s happening
USCIS issued guidance clarifying that filing periods stated as a number of “days” include weekends and federal holidays, but a paper filing due on a weekend or federal holiday is timely if USCIS receives it by the end of the next business day.
This extension does not apply to deadlines tied to a substantive eligibility requirement, such as filing before a person’s 21st birthday.
Electronic filings are considered received when submitted and do not receive a next-business-day extension.
The change takes effect October 23, 2026, for paper filings received on or after that date.
Why it matters
The policy reverses USCIS’s 2023 approach to some age-based deadlines. A person whose eligibility ends on a weekend or federal holiday may now need to file before that date rather than relying on the next business day.
Impact
Special Immigrant Juvenile petitioners and others facing age-based eligibility limits may lose eligibility if they wait until the next business day after a birthday.
Attorneys, accredited representatives, and applicants should recalculate pending deadlines and distinguish between deadlines stated in “days” and age- or date-based eligibility cutoffs.
Paper filings require delivery planning; mailing by the deadline may not be enough when the rule requires receipt.
Sources
POLICY ALERT - Definition of Day for Purposes of Filing Deadlines
DHS accelerates review of state voter rolls for possible noncitizens
What’s happening
DHS is reviewing voter rolls from at least 47 states under an “Unlawful Voter Initiative.”
Hundreds of officers across DHS, ICE, and USCIS have reportedly been assigned to compare voter information with immigration, State Department, and Social Security records.
DHS has also used a commercial data service to supplement information missing from public voter rolls.
Why it matters
The initiative expands the federal government’s role in election administration shortly before the midterm elections. The process has generated false positives, including U.S. citizens with names similar to immigrants and citizens born abroad. Studies and audits cited have found noncitizen voting to be statistically insignificant.
Impact
Naturalized citizens and foreign-born U.S. citizens may be incorrectly flagged, creating risks of voter-registration challenges, extra scrutiny during travel, or complications in later immigration proceedings.
Immigrant communities may experience a chilling effect on lawful voter registration and participation.
Anyone notified of a voter-registration or citizenship-status problem should preserve citizenship records and seek qualified election-law or immigration assistance promptly.
Sources
White House pushes fnr speedy review of voter rolls in hunt for noncitizen voters | Reuters
Supreme Court allows expanded SAVE voter-verification system to resume
What’s happening
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allowed the administration’s expanded Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to operate while litigation continues.
The system permits bulk searches and use of Social Security numbers to compare voter records with federal citizenship and immigration data.
The Court’s three liberal justices dissented.
Why it matters
The order lifts a lower-court block and allows states to use the expanded system before the November midterms. The majority said the challengers were unlikely to succeed because federal law authorizes DHS to request citizenship and immigration-status information from other agencies. Opponents argue that outdated or inaccurate data can wrongly identify naturalized citizens as noncitizens.
Impact
Naturalized citizens may face erroneous voter-roll removal or demands to prove citizenship again.
A Texas election official found 25% of noncitizen matches examined there involved people who had already proven U.S. citizenship; reports from St. Louis County found at least 81% of responses were erroneous.
Eligible voters should check their registration status before deadlines, keep proof of citizenship accessible, and respond quickly to official notices.
