Since returning to power, the Trump administration has enacted a whirlwind of immigration directives, rolling back protections for immigrants with and without legal status.
Keeping track of these changes can get confusing. As other news breaks, some policies have slipped under the radar, while others have been misrepresented online. With many directives being contested in court, the legal status of several protections continues to shift.
As part of El Tecolote’s commitment to keeping our local community informed, we’re tracking immigration policy changes with the highest stakes for Latinx immigrants in San Francisco. We’ll continue updating this article as new developments unfold.
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Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans and Haitians
Current status: A federal judge has temporarily postponed the end of TPS protections for Venezuelans while a lawsuit moves forward. Haitian TPS holders are still poised to lose their protections by the end of August.
Earlier this year, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem reversed actions by the Biden administration and ended existing protections for Venezuelans and Haitian nationals. The decision put more than one million people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) at risk of losing their legal status in the coming months, including 350,000 Venezuelans that were set to lose protections in April.
On March 24, a group of TPS holders from both countries asked a federal judge in San Francisco to pause the termination while their lawsuit challenging Noem’s decision is determined. A day later, a coalition of state attorneys general from 18 states also filed a court motion opposing Noem’s decision.
The San Francisco judge ruled in favor of the TPS holders on March 31, delaying TPS terminations for Venezuelans until he makes a final decision on the case. He has yet to issue a similar ruling for Haitian TPS holders, who are currently slated to lose their protections by August.
TPS provides deportation relief and work permits to immigrants from 17 countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters or other emergencies. Designations last 18 months and can be extended by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Trump Administration previously failed to end TPS for Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, Nepal and Honduras in 2017 and 2018.
Latest update: March 31, 2025
Fast-tracked deportations to third countries
Current status: ICE is temporarily barred from deporting migrants to countries not designated during immigration proceedings. A longer-term ruling is expected after April 10.
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting immigrants to countries with which they have no prior connection without advance notice or a chance to raise fear-based claims.
The ruling, issued March 29, came in response to a lawsuit filed by immigrants and immigrant rights advocates after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a Feb. 19 directive to fast-track the re-detention and removal of thousands of immigrants previously released from custody, even if it was to a country they had no connection to.
Since January, the Trump administration has expanded agreements with Mexico and several Central American nations to accept deportees from other countries. Advocates warned that the ICE directive could lead to immigrants being sent to unfamiliar or unsafe nations without the chance to raise claims of persecution or torture.
In his ruling to block the ICE directive, the judge emphasized that immigrants are entitled to due process under U.S. and international law. The restraining order will remain in effect until at least April 10, when the court is expected to hear arguments on a longer-term injunction.
Latest update: March 29, 2025
Use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan immigrants
Current status: The U.S. government is temporarily blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more Venezuelan immigrants without due process for at least another two weeks.
On March 26, a U.S. appeals court upheld a federal judge’s decision to temporarily block the Trump administration’s use of the rarely invoked 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport certain Venezuelan immigrants without due process.
The Trump administration cited the Alien Enemies Act on March 15 to target individuals allegedly tied to the Tren de Aragua gang, resulting in the rapid deportation of 238 Venezuelans to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
That same day, after the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the president’s executive order, a judge temporarily blocked further deportations under the proclamation. On March 28, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to lift the block. The same day, the judge extended the pause through April 12.
Some families say their detained relatives have no criminal records or gang affiliations, and were targeted for having unrelated tattoos. Lawyers hired by the Venezuelan government are actively working to release them.
Latest update: March 28, 2025
Humanitarian parole (CHNV program) for Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Haitians
Current status: DHS terminated the program on March 25. More than 532,000 immigrants are set to lose protections by April 24.
The Trump Administration ended a humanitarian parole program for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, known as CHNV. The Biden-era program, launched in 2022, provided deportation relief and work permits for immigrants from these countries through sponsorship.
DHS officially terminated the program on March 25. Beneficiaries whose protections haven’t yet expired will lose them by April 24 unless the DHS secretary grants them an exception.
To maintain legal status, CHNV beneficiaries can apply for other immigration pathways, such as asylum. DHS has advised those without another legal pathway to leave the U.S. before their parole termination date.
The termination of the CHNV program is being challenged in court by lawyers and activists.
Latest update: March 25, 2025
Legal aid for unaccompanied minors
Current status: Children who cross the border without parents or legal guardians no longer receive free legal aid in immigration court.
On March 21, the Trump administration cut funding for a program that provided legal aid to unaccompanied minors, leaving thousands to represent themselves in court.
The government has halted funding for legal representation and recruitment of attorneys, eliminating funding for legal representation and attorney recruitment. Only ‘Know Your Rights’ presentations in detention centers remain funded.
The Trump administration is also directing immigration agents to track unaccompanied migrant children and imposed new sponsor requirements, including fingerprinting and DNA testing.
Latest update: March 21, 2025
Birthright citizenship for U.S.-born children of immigrants
Current status: All children born inside the country are given automatic U.S. citizenship, despite the White House’s continued efforts to challenge it.
Four federal judges have temporarily blocked Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship, citing the 14th amendment.
Trump signed the executive order on his first day back in office, aiming to deny automatic citizenship to newborns unless one parent is either a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident.
A day later, twenty-two Democratic-led states, two cities (including San Francisco), dozens of civil rights groups and several pregnant women filed lawsuits, arguing the order is unconstitutional.
On March 13, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to narrow those rulings so the new policy can move forward.
Latest update: March 13, 2025
San Francisco’s Sanctuary City status
Current status: San Francisco remains a sanctuary city and is fighting to protect federal funding in court.
Under San Francisco’s sanctuary city ordinance, local law enforcement and public agencies are prohibited from collaborating with ICE to detain or deport immigrants.
On Jan. 20, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to deny funding to so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions. In response, City Attorney David Chiu filed a federal lawsuit against the order on Feb. 7., joined by several other cities and counties.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is suing the state of Illinois and Chicago over their sanctuary policies. In Congress, Republicans are pushing the “No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act,” which would bar any sanctuary jurisdiction from receiving federal funds intended “for the benefit” of undocumented residents.
There are currently 13 sanctuary states and more than 200 sanctuary cities or counties nationwide that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The fight echoes Trump’s earlier effort in 2017 to deny funding to sanctuary cities — a campaign that failed after the Supreme Court declined to hear key appeals in 2021, effectively upholding lower court rulings that sided with the cities.
Latest update: February 28
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Current status: Registered dreamers can renew their DACA status, but new applications are not being processed.
A Texas district court ruled in January that parts of the DACA program are unlawful, effectively blocking the federal government from processing new applications. However, existing DACA recipients — often called Dreamers — can still renew their status.
On February 27, a path to citizenship for DACA recipients was reintroduced in Congress. The American Dream and Promise Act of 2025, led by Reps. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), has support from more than 200 members of Congress. The bill would offer permanent legal status to Dreamers, TPS holders and those with Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).
Established in 2012 under President Obama, DACA provides deportation protection and work permits to immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. The program has transformed the lives of more than 834,000 young people.
Latest update: February 27
Mass deportations in San Francisco
Current status: As of now, there have been no mass raids reported in San Francisco.
Most immigration enforcement in the city has targeted specific individuals, according to reports by Mission Action, a nonprofit organization that runs San Francisco’s Rapid Response Network. Immigration lawyers say this kind of targeted enforcement predates Trump’s return to office.
In contrast, larger-scale operations have been reported in cities like New York City, Miami, Chicago, Dallas and Houston. In Los Angeles, ICE officials reportedly launched a new wave of enforcement on Feb. 23. Just two days later, 120 people were rounded up in a housing complex in Houston.
Latest update: February 25, 2025
ICE detention in sensitive locations
Current status: ICE agents are currently barred from entering churches, but can conduct enforcement in schools and hospitals.
On Jan. 21, the Trump administration rescinded prior guidelines that had discouraged immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, allowing ICE agents to operate in and around schools, churches and hospitals.
Soon after, several religious groups filed a lawsuit opposing immigration enforcement in churches, and on Feb. 24, a federal judge temporarily blocked ICE agents from entering places of worship and targeting immigrants nearby unless they have a warrant.
Latest update: Feburary 24, 2025
Detention for minor offenses
Current status: ICE is required to detain undocumented immigrants without legal status who are accused of certain minor crimes.
On Jan. 29, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act after it passed by Congress. Under the new law, immigrants must be detained by ICE if they are accused of certain low-level offenses, including theft over $100, burglary and assaulting a police officer. Immigrants in ICE custody for these offenses cannot be released by an immigration judge while their case is pending, a process that can sometimes take years.
Previously, mandatory ICE detention only applied to those charged with more serious crimes, such as murder and drug trafficking.
Immigrant rights advocates say the law raises serious due process concerns, since immigrants don’t need to be convicted to be detained.
Latest update: January 29
