Bennet, Rosen, Colleagues Introduce Resolution to Overturn Trump Rule Rescinding Automatic Work Permit Renewal

Dec 11, 2025| Press Releases

Work Permits Allow Immigrants With Legal Status To Work, But Long USCIS Processing Times Are Placing U.S. Employers and Workers At Risk

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) joined U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and nine Senate colleagues to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn a recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rule that ends automatic extensions of work permits, making it so that previously-vetted immigrants with legal status cannot work while they wait for their work permit renewals to be approved.

"In Colorado and across the country, immigrant workers strengthen our economy and richen our communities," said Bennet. "This legislation will reverse the Trump Administration's unfair rule change, ensuring that immigrants who are here legally can continue to work while they wait for their work permits to be renewed."

"Immigrants who work and contribute to our economy are central to Nevada's prosperity, and they're the backbone of the U.S. economy," said Rosen. "This unfair rule change by the Trump Administration will cause chaos - forcing thousands of immigrants with legal authorization to stop working or be fired by their employer. This will hurt our economy and harm thousands of families, so I'm urging my colleagues to join me in overturning this rule."

USCIS's interim final rule, announced on October 30, ended automatic extensions for 18 different categories of immigrants. Due to long USCIS processing wait times, immigrants who submitted work permit renewal applications on time will be left without work authorization while they wait for their application to be processed - sometimes for many months at a time - risking their ability to legally work, through no fault of their own.

Prior to this new rule, if an immigrant who is legally present in the United States filed their work permit renewal request on time, they would automatically receive a work permit extension to ensure they don't lose their authorization while USCIS processes their renewal. The senators' resolution would reinstate that commonsense policy.

Bennet has consistently fought to protect due process rights, transparency, and safety in the U.S. immigration system. This month, Bennet and 20 Senate colleagues introduced the Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act, legislation to reverse the provisions in Republicans' so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" that harm children seeking safety from trafficking, abuse, and exploitation in their home countries. Last month, Bennet joined 48 bicameral colleagues to introduce the Restoring Access to Detainees Act, legislation to ensure the Department of Homeland Security allows noncitizens who have been detained to contact their legal counsel and families. In August, Bennet and Senate colleagues introduced the Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety Act to prohibit law enforcement officers from obscuring their faces and require that they clearly display their agency, name, and a unique identifier while conducting immigration enforcement functions. In April, Bennet and U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) led bicameral colleagues in urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to address the Executive Office for Immigration Review's decision to fire key immigration judges. In March, Bennet urged the Trump Administration to ensure unaccompanied children in the immigration system receive legal representation. In February, Bennet and 20 Senate colleagues introduced the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would reinstate DHS's long-standing policies to prevent ICE from making arrests at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

In addition to Bennet and Rosen, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Angus King (I-Maine), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt) cosponsored the resolution.

The text of the resolution is available HERE.

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