Trump's green-card memo triggers panic, ambiguity, and looming lawsuits

Trump administration released a memo proposing that most temporary visa holders and humanitarian parolees in the U.S. must return to their home countries to wait for green cards, a shift that would curb in-country adjustment of status; DHS later said it wasn’t a blanket policy, but immigration lawyers warn it could be retroactive and lead to removal proceedings, creating panic among applicants. The rules would hit those already in the U.S.—including relatives of citizens, laid-off tech workers, and international students—with California accounting for the largest share of adjustment-of-status green cards in 2023 (112,100). With backlogs and uncertain scope, the policy is expected to face litigation and could disrupt employers that depend on foreign talent.