US DHS Proposes Tougher Work Permit Rules

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, June 9, 2026: The Trump US DHS launched one of its most aggressive weeks of immigration enforcement yet – proposing tougher rules for immigrant work permits, moving to strip citizenship from 17 immigrants, and seeking $100,000 fees on employer visa petitions – even as federal judges struck down multiple administration immigration policies as unlawful.

For Caribbean immigrants navigating an increasingly complex and hostile immigration environment, the developments of this week represent a significant escalation that touches nearly every aspect of the legal immigration system.

Work Permits Under Attack

The US Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on June 5, 2026, seeking to significantly tighten the agency’s discretionary authority to grant employment authorization documents – known as EADs or work permits – to certain non-citizens.

If finalized, the rule could affect thousands of immigrants who rely on work permits to legally work and support themselves and their families while their immigration status remains unresolved, according to the proposal published at federalregister.gov. Among those potentially impacted are individuals granted parole into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, immigrants who have received deferred action, and certain individuals with final orders of removal who are released under orders of supervision.

Under the proposed rule, DHS argues that employment authorization for these groups should not be automatically available simply because they fall into a particular immigration category. Instead, applicants would need to demonstrate additional factors — including economic necessity and other discretionary considerations — before receiving approval. Additional screening measures, including biometrics and background checks, would also be required for some applicants.

For Caribbean immigrants — many of whom are in the United States under humanitarian protections, deferred action, or with pending immigration cases – the proposal represents a direct threat to their ability to work legally while awaiting decisions on their cases.

Immigration advocates are expected to closely scrutinize the proposal during the public comment period now open through the Federal Register. Individuals, attorneys, and advocacy organizations may submit comments before DHS decides whether to finalize the changes.

Citizenship Strip – 17 More Targeted

On Monday June 8, the Trump administration announced it was seeking to strip the citizenship of 17 immigrants in the latest wave of denaturalization cases – escalating what has become an unprecedented campaign against naturalized American citizens.

The Justice Department said it filed the cases in district courts across the country, targeting individuals accused of concealing previous crimes or committing fraud during the naturalization process. The 17 cases follow an announcement last month in which the DOJ sought to revoke the citizenship of 12 immigrants — and come after Department of Homeland Security officials were directed late last year to refer upward of 200 denaturalization cases per month to federal prosecutors.

Historically, denaturalization cases have been extraordinarily rare. The Justice Department has said only approximately 130 cases were filed between 2017 and July 2025. The Trump administration’s pace represents a dramatic acceleration.

“American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement Monday, as quoted by the administration. “We will continue to use every lawful avenue to denaturalize and remove aliens.”

Among those targeted in the latest wave were individuals convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, attempted sexual battery upon a child, and conspiracy to distribute prescription drugs. The cases also included a former Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a minor and a person accused of filing fraudulent H-1B visa petitions. For Caribbean Americans who have obtained US citizenship – the expansion of denaturalization efforts signals that even naturalized status is not immune from the administration’s scrutiny.

Judge Strikes Down $100,000 Employer Visa Fee

However, in a significant legal setback for the administration, a federal judge on Monday ruled that a Trump administration initiative to impose $100,000 fees on employers seeking visas for skilled foreign workers amounts to an unlawful tax and must be voided in its entirety.

Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts nullified the fee – one of a series of tactics the Trump administration has used to restrict legal immigration even in fields where foreign skilled labor addresses severe shortages, according to the ruling. The decision is a significant victory for employers and skilled immigrant workers – including the many Caribbean professionals who enter the United States on H-1B and other skilled worker visas.

USCIS Processing Freeze Also Struck Down

In a separate ruling, a federal judge struck down the Trump administration’s suspension of immigration benefit processing for nationals of 39 countries – a policy implemented in late November that shunted thousands of applications to a filing cabinet where they sat untouched, even though each applicant had paid substantial fees for a government decision.

The judge also struck down three related policies and ruled that USCIS must begin processing hundreds of thousands of suspended applications immediately. The decision requires USCIS to return to treating all nationalities equally — imposing the same vetting standards to each person and granting all applications that meet federal requirements — unless the administration obtains quick relief from an appeals court.

The ruling does not impact separate restrictions implemented by the State Department, including a pause on the granting of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries and President Trump’s 39-country travel and entry ban.

What Caribbean Immigrants Need To Do Right Now

With the immigration landscape shifting rapidly, Caribbean immigrants and their families should take the following steps immediately:

Consult a licensed immigration attorney – not a notario or immigration consultant – about how these changes affect your specific situation

Submit public comments on the proposed work permit rule through the Federal Register before the comment period closes – your voice matters

Ensure all immigration documentation is current – work permits, travel documents, and pending applications

Do not travel internationally without first consulting an attorney about re-entry authorization

Monitor court developments – multiple federal court rulings are actively changing what the administration can and cannot do

The Broader Pattern

Taken together, this week’s developments reveal an administration simultaneously pushing the boundaries of immigration enforcement on multiple fronts – while federal courts push back on multiple fronts as well. The proposed work permit restrictions, the denaturalization campaign, the $100,000 employer visa fee, and the USCIS processing freeze all share a common thread: an administration determined to restrict legal immigration as aggressively as it has pursued illegal immigration enforcement.

For the Caribbean diaspora – one of the most significant legal immigrant communities in the United States – the message is clear. The legal immigration system is under pressure from every direction and navigating it has never required more careful attention.