The approval of new legal permanent resident cards in the United States, known as 'green cards', has been cut almost in half since the beginning of Donald Trump's second presidency, while immigration arrests have tripled.an investigation revealed from the conservative Cato Institute.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suspended the processing of many 'green card' applications, allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest legal immigrants, including refugees, people with conditional protection, and spouses of U.S. citizens,” wrote the report's author, David J. Bier.
The US government approved 34,000 green cards last January compared to 65,000 in the same month of 2025, when Trump returned to the White House, according to the report, available online and based on data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
In contrast, ICE detained more than 38,000 migrants during the first month of 2026 compared to 12,348 in January of last year, the study added.
The suspension of applications for green cards “is a deliberate effort to boost ICE arrests by frustrating people’s efforts to stay on the right side of the law,” according to Bier, director of Immigration Studies at the institute.
>>> More than 90% of those newly detained by ICE have no criminal record
>>> Record number of arrests: More than 70,000 people in ICE custody for the first time ever
Arresting immigrants who have legalized their immigration status or who are in the process of doing so.
The researcher attributed the drop in new 'green cards' to the fact that the United States prevented immigrants already residing in the country, such as refugees and beneficiaries of humanitarian 'parole' (protection), from changing their status to long-term legal residents.
He also noted a 20% decrease since the beginning of the Trump Administration in the approval of resident cards sponsored by family members already living in the United States.
He also pointed to Trump's order last December that suspended immigration procedures for 19 countries, including Cuba and Venezuela, and that this year was extended to 40 nations, including Nicaragua.
The report attributed the lower approval rate for green cards to the fact that the president's mass deportation campaign "depends crucially on preventing immigrants from obtaining or extending their legal status."
“The suspension of several pathways to a green card has allowed ICE to increase arrests of people who otherwise would have had legal status or would have been protected from arrest. Removing their legal status is a necessary precondition for removing people from the country,” Bier concluded.
PODCAST
After the storm
A year ago, Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina. The Latino community responded with something stronger than the storm: solidarity.
🎧 In this episode, learn how Latino organizations transformed crisis into resilience.
▶️Press play to listen!
Republish our stories for free on your website or newspaper. We follow the Creative Commons license. Click the box and follow the instructions.
