Although not all foreigners are required to carry the same documentation, federal authorities remind people that there are immigration records and official receipts that serve as proof of legal status and can prevent confusion during an identity check.

What documents can serve as proof before ICE?

Immigration authorities recognize different official documents that allow a person to prove that they are legally in the United States or that they meet the requirements set by immigration law.

Among them are:

• Permanent resident card (Green Card).
• Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
• Form I-94, which proves admission or legal stay in the country.
• Official notices issued by USCIS related to immigration applications.
• Immigration registration receipts issued by the federal government.
• Documentation showing the existence of an ongoing immigration process, where applicable.

Specialists recommend keeping these documents in good condition and, whenever possible, carrying the originals or authorized copies.

Who must carry immigration documentation?

U.S. law establishes that certain foreigners over 18 years old must carry, at all times, the documentation that proves their immigration registration when the law requires it.

Not having these receipts can lead to delays during an identification procedure and even create problems while authorities verify the foreigner’s immigration status.

Do these papers prevent automatic deportation?

Having immigration documentation does not mean that a person is exempt from an immigration proceeding, but it does make it possible to immediately show what their situation is before the authorities.

If an immigrant has a valid document proving their legal presence or an ongoing immigration process, agents can verify that information more quickly and avoid errors caused by a lack of identification.

Experts remind people that each case is analyzed individually and that the documentation must be authentic, current, and belong to the holder.

The latest numbers highlight a significant rise in immigration enforcement compared with the pace seen earlier this year. The increase is part of the administration’s broader effort to identify, detain and remove people who are in the country without legal authorization.

ICE surpasses 10,000 immigration arrests in five days

According to a report by The New York Times, ICE officers made more than 10,000 immigration arrests over five days as the agency intensified enforcement operations nationwide. The newspaper reported that the higher arrest numbers follow internal efforts to significantly increase daily immigration arrests.

Federal officials would have encouraged ICE to expand enforcement operations in multiple locations, including traffic stops, routine immigration checks, and targeted field operations. The strategy is intended to increase the number of people taken into custody while continuing deportation efforts.

The increase represents one of the fastest periods of immigration arrests since the Trump administration began expanding its enforcement policies, according to the newspaper’s reporting.

Why ICE immigration arrests have increased

The administration has made immigration enforcement one of its top priorities, directing federal agencies to accelerate arrests and deportations. Officials have argued that the expanded operations are aimed at strengthening immigration law enforcement and increasing public safety.

Although ICE has increased the number of arrests, each case continues to follow the federal immigration process. Individuals taken into custody may remain in detention while their immigration proceedings continue or until they are removed from the United States, depending on the circumstances of each case.

According to information reported by CNN, the lawmaker denounced a list that includes minors who remain under the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and who could be part of a new deportation operation.

What does the list of more than 500 immigrant children say?

According to the information released by Wyden, the register is made up of more than 500 unaccompanied migrant minors who have remained in federal Government custody for at least 180 days.

These are children who do not have a parent, relative, or legal guardian in the United States and who, according to the senator, were placed mainly in long-term foster homes managed by ORR providers.

Until May, the ORR was caring for an average of 1,816 unaccompanied minors, most of them from Central American countries.

Will they be deported?

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that “there are no plans to target these children”.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Wyden asked to immediately suspend any evaluation or action related to possible expulsions.

“This is a serious institutional failure that immediately puts hundreds of vulnerable children in danger,” wrote the senator, who argued that using the agency in charge of protecting minors to facilitate deportations represents “an unacceptable escalation of Executive overreach.”

What the Trump Government responded

The agency stated that the Joe Biden Administration accelerated the transfer of migrant children “without proper verification of sponsors,” which, according to the Government, left thousands of minors exposed to abuse and human trafficking.

In that context, it said the Trump administration’s priority is to identify the parents or legal guardians of unaccompanied foreign minors to ensure they are handed over to properly vetted sponsors.

The precedent that worries organizations

Wyden’s complaint recalls an episode that occurred last year, when the Government tried to repatriate dozens of Guatemalan children who remained in federal custody.

On that occasion, 76 minors were even prepared to board return flights, but a federal judge temporarily blocked the measure and the children were returned to custody centers in the United States.

According to documents filed in that court case, some parents said they had never requested the return of their children, despite the Government’s claim that the repatriations had been coordinated with Guatemala.

For Wyden, the new information “lays the groundwork for another deportation effort outside the law,” although this time it would involve minors from different countries of origin and would have a broader scope than last year’s failed attempt.

The judicial decision particularly targets citizens of Haiti and Syria, who would lose their authorization to live and work temporarily in the United States and would be exposed to possible deportation proceedings.

Combined with the recent decision of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, expedited removal could be applied, which does not require court proceedings and is left to the discretion of officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Supreme Court and its historic ruling: How many people are affected and what was the argument?

The United States Supreme Court ruled in a 6 to 3 vote that the Donald Trump administration may end TPS for Haitian and Syrian citizens, setting aside lower court orders that had blocked the government from canceling these protections. The court ruling is estimated to affect approximately 350,000 Haitians and about 6,000 Syrians.

TPS is an immigration benefit created by Congress in 1990 to allow immigrants from certain countries experiencing armed conflicts, natural disasters, or humanitarian crises to remain and work legally within the United States. It is a temporary protection and does not grant permanent residence or citizenship.

Those who voted in favor of this ruling argued that the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) grants DHS the authority to assign or cancel TPS as appropriate. According to this law:

• The decision to cancel TPS falls to the executive branch
• Federal courts have a very limited ability to review these types of administrative determinations

Expedited removals: How do they differ from the traditional process?

On Tuesday, June 23, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled that the Donald Trump administration could restart expedited removal proceedings (expedited removal).

This measure differs from the traditional one because it allows officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expel certain foreigners without a hearing before an immigration judge. Expedited removals had previously been suspended in August 2025 on the grounds that there were no safeguards to prevent wrongful deportations and that due process had to be protected.

With the latest update, expedited removal can be applied when a person cannot prove at least two years of continuous lawful presence in the country. Previously, the measure could only be applied near the borders: now it extends to the entire United States.

The Donald Trump administration’s immigration policy: What do immigration laws currently allow and what protections do immigrants have?

Since Donald Trump returned to power, he has tightened immigration controls and made it easier to expel people who remain without legal authorization:

• The use of expedited removals was expanded
• Various immigration protection programs were canceled
• There is greater scrutiny of those who cannot prove valid and regular immigration status
• Control and detention actions by authorities such as ICE were increased

Nevertheless, despite the tightening of this administration’s policies, immigration protections still exist that everyone should know about:

• Applications for asylum for people who demonstrate persecution, and withholding of removal (Withholding of Removal)
• Protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT)
• TPS programs still in effect for other countries
• DACA
• U and T visas for victims of certain crimes
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) for minors who are victims of abuse, abandonment, or neglect
• Status adjustments
• Family reunification processes
• Cancellation of removal
• Humanitarian visas and other categories of immigration provided for by immigration law
• Right to due process in traditional deportations where applicable

The future of immigration policies: What lies ahead for the foreign population in the coming months?

With the latest judicial decisions, the current administration gains more and more authority and decision-making power over this sector of the population. While these rulings do not mean immediate deportations, they eliminate one of the main protections that many people had.

All Haitians and Syrians who lose TPS will have to evaluate other legal avenues to regularize their status in order to avoid being exposed to the expulsion proceedings provided for under U.S. law.