A Maine physician was kept out of the United States for over four months and forced to live in Canada after a bureaucratic mistake with her visa extension, raising questions about government accountability and border enforcement. Dr. Behnoosh Dashti, a 52-year-old dual citizen of Iran and Canada, crossed into Canada from Maine on April 8 […] The post Physician says DMV error left her stranded in Canada for months; lawsuit dismissed after return appeared first on American Almanac .
A Maine physician was kept out of the United States for over four months and forced to live in Canada after a bureaucratic mistake with her visa extension, raising questions about government accountability and border enforcement. Dr. Behnoosh Dashti, a 52-year-old dual citizen of Iran and Canada, crossed into Canada from Maine on April 8 expecting a quick trip. But when she tried to re-enter the United States through the Fort Fairfield port just minutes later, she was detained by U.S. Border Patrol for 10 hours, then released into Canada and told she could not come back, according to allegations in her federal lawsuit. Dashti, who had lived and worked legally in Maine since 2022, claimed she was left stranded for months due to an issue…Open
Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment charging 11 people for their involvement in a Chinese marriage fraud scheme.
Authorities have exposed a decade-long marriage fraud operation that helped Chinese nationals secure green cards through sham marriages in one of the largest cases of its kind in U.S. history . PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment charging 11 people for their involvement in a Chinese marriage fraud scheme. DETAIL: The exposed fraud was announced on Wednesday. The scheme involved a network of recruiters, facilitators, and assistants. The scheme involved staging fake wedding photos and coaching participants for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) interviews. Once a green card was secured, divorces were arranged. Participants paid up to $100,000 for fake marriages, while U.S. citizens…Open
AI:Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment charging 11 individuals for their roles in a massive decade-long Chinese marriage fraud ring that generated tens of millions of dollars between 2016 and 2026. This sophisticated operation functioned as a multimillion-dollar cottage industry, utilizing recruiters and facilitators to coach participants through staged wedding photos and fraudulent USCIS interviews to secure green cards for Chinese nationals. Participants reportedly paid up to $100,000 for these sham unions, while U.S. citizens were compensated up to $30,000 to participate, often executing prenuptial agreements to protect assets once the marriages were no longer needed and divorces were arranged. The investigation, which has…Open
Denaturalization has always been possible under the Immigration and Nationality Act. For decades, however, prosecutors have treated it as a last resort, largely reserved for war criminals, spies, and those linked to terrorism. The law is clear under Section 340(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. § 1451(a)): if someone obtained citizenship illegally […] The post Trump Orders First-Ever Massive Denaturalization Push in Modern U.S. History appeared first on StoneZone .
Denaturalization has always been possible under the Immigration and Nationality Act. For decades, however, prosecutors have treated it as a last resort, largely reserved for war criminals, spies, and those linked to terrorism. The law is clear under Section 340(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. § 1451(a)): if someone obtained citizenship illegally or through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation, the government can ask a federal judge to revoke the order of naturalization and cancel the certificate. The Trump administration is intensifying efforts against naturalized U.S. citizens who concealed criminal records or lied on their citizenship applications. On July 20 , the Department of Justice…Open
A work slowdown by the Trump administration's immigration offices has exploded the backlog of applications for citizenship, green cards and work permits to an unprecedented 7.5 million people, according to the latest agency data. - Add the millions of immigrants waiting on decisions for asylum, work visas and permission to stay in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons, and the total backlog soars to more than 12.1 million. Why it matters: The delays have put potentially millions of people in legal immigration limbo — vulnerable to being arrested by ICE agents and deported, even if they've followed the rules to try to stay in the U.S. - Officials say the delays are being driven by the administration's new focus on stricter vetting. A wave…
The Trump administration will begin requiring certain prospective immigrants previously flagged as likely public charges to post bonds as high as $250,000 before receiving a U.S. visa, starting with applicants at the American consulate in the Dominican Republic. The pilot program, launched in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, goes into effect Tuesday morning […] The post Trump administration launches bond program requiring some immigrants to post up to $250,000 appeared first on American Almanac .
The Trump administration will begin requiring certain prospective immigrants previously flagged as likely public charges to post bonds as high as $250,000 before receiving a U.S. visa, starting with applicants at the American consulate in the Dominican Republic. The pilot program, launched in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, goes into effect Tuesday morning at U.S. consular offices in Santo Domingo. It targets immigrant visa applicants who have already been found ineligible on public charge grounds, meaning a consular officer determined they were likely to rely on taxpayer-funded benefits after arriving in the United States. Under the new policy, those applicants can still obtain a visa, but only after posting a bond…Open
Citizenship and Immigration Services officers detained a man believed to be committing immigration fraud. (USCIS) Reported by: Cherry Meigh TimbolNews Content Editor Published August 5 , 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Justice under [...]
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a major change designed to reduce the asylum backlog. The Trump administration issued an interim final regulation formally titled “Affirmative Asylum Referrals Without Interview” (DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-0199 / RIN 1615-AD18). Affirmative asylum applications are filed by people already […] The post Trump’s Decisive Asylum Reform: Ends the Backlog Scam Once and For All appeared first on StoneZone .
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a major change designed to reduce the asylum backlog. The Trump administration issued an interim final regulation formally titled “Affirmative Asylum Referrals Without Interview” (DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-0199 / RIN 1615-AD18 ). Affirmative asylum applications are filed by people already present in the United States who are not in removal proceedings. The goal is to cut the massive backlog of asylum cases. By the end of fiscal year 2025, USCIS had more than 1.4 million affirmative applications still pending. Under the new regulation, asylum officers can refer certain affirmative applications directly to immigration…Open
‘our own government is allowing U.S. employers to undercut younger generations’
There’s a trend in public commentary to attribute young Americans’ openness to socialist or communist ideas to laziness or educational indoctrination. The point is to dismiss generational economic complaints as entitlement or a poor work ethic. However, such characterizations irresponsibly ignore the truth about what’s happening to our sons and daughters. Data on labor market dynamics , particularly the role of H-1B visa policies in constraining white-collar job access and wages for young Americans, provide a better explanation for the shift. Gen Z and Millennials face a structurally challenging environment. Net job creation in the U.S. has been anemic, to say the least. College degrees, especially in STEM-related fields, continue…Open
The surge in H-1B visa renewals highlights ongoing issues with large-scale legal immigration and broad exemptions from annual caps.
The surge in H-1B visa renewals highlights ongoing issues with large-scale legal immigration and broad exemptions from annual caps. PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: H-1B visa renewals are set to reach a record high in fiscal year 2026, with 273,026 petitions for continuing employment already approved in the first nine months, according to a LayoffHedge analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data. This figure is close to the 291,542 renewals approved in fiscal year 2025, which was the previous record. DETAIL: The surge in renewals comes as the Trump administration has sought to reform the H-1B program, including proposals to impose a $100,000 fee on certain new petitions and replace the random lottery system with a…Open
The Trump administration has proposed a series of significant reforms to the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program.
The Trump administration has proposed a series of reforms to the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program, aiming to enhance oversight, address fraud concerns, and refocus the program’s objectives toward creating new jobs . PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: - DETAIL: The administration’s proposed changes include ending the “troubled business” pathway, meaning that investors must create new jobs, rather than preserve jobs at struggling companies. The potential reforms also include giving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) powers to deny petitions, terminate regional centers, and revoke approvals and permanent residency status in cases involving fraud, misuse, or…Open