Padilla, Durbin, Congressional Democrats Sound the Alarm on Trump Administration Concerning Green Card Application Changes

In letter to USCIS, Democrats led by Ranking Members Padilla, Durbin, Raskin, and Jayapal sound alarm on requirements for green card applicants to apply abroad and demonstrate their presence under new standards not mandated by Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, led Congressional Democrats in pressing the Trump Administration on recent concerning changes to the green card application process.

In a letter to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow, the lawmakers cited a recent USCIS memorandum requiring noncitizens seeking a green card to apply abroad, as well as for the first time to establish their presence in the United States as "in the national interest."

"We write to object to your new policy memorandum regarding adjustment of status. Adjustment of status is the statutory process by which immigrants may apply for lawful permanent residence, often called a 'green card,' from within the United States," wrote the lawmakers. "On May 21, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum (PM-602-0199) with guidance claiming that adjustment of status is an 'extraordinary form of relief.' Without any basis in the law and in a departure from decades of precedent, this guidance creates a policy preference for consular processing abroad over adjustment of status in the United States, requiring applicants to meet new, undefined discretionary criteria to be processed domestically. We urge you to reverse this new policy and restore adjudications of adjustment of status applications in a manner consistent with the law, longstanding practice, and congressional intent."

"PM-602-0199 states that adjustment of status 'is a matter of discretion and administrative grace not designed to supersede the regular consular processing of immigrant visas.' This is simply incorrect. There is no statutory preference for consular processing, and legislative history shows that Congress has long maintained a strong preference in favor of allowing eligible noncitizens to adjust status in the United States," continued the lawmakers. "Adjustment of status was first introduced into law over 70 years ago, in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. The practice was introduced and later expanded in recognition of the significant number of eligible individuals seeking green cards who resided in the United States. In the limited circumstances in which Congress intended to restrict adjustment of status, statutory text has been amended to prevent certain classes of noncitizens from using the process. When individuals are in the United States and eligible for adjustment of status, legislative history shows that Congress has a strong preference that such individuals have an opportunity to adjust their status while remaining in the U.S."

"By directing adjudicators to treat adjustment of status as an 'extraordinary form of relief' and by creating a policy preference for consular processing, the memorandum undermines the very purposes Congress sought to advance when enacting and amending section 245 of the INA," the lawmakers concluded. "Congress established adjustment of status as a cornerstone of the modern immigration system to promote family unity, administrative efficiency, and economic stability. Any effort to dismantle that statutory framework through internal agency policy is unacceptable."

In addition to Padilla and Durbin, the letter is signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Dele.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

In addition to Raskin and Jayapal, the letter is signed by U.S. Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.-04), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.-03), Becca Balint (D-Vt.-AL), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio.-03), Donald Beyer (D-Va.-08), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.-13), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), André Carson (D-Ind.-07), Greg Casar (D-Texas-35), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas-20), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. (D-Calif.-31), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.-09), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.-09), J. Luis Correa (D-Calif.-46), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.-02), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas-30), James Walkinshaw (D-Va.-11), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.-01), April McClain Delaney (D-Md.-06), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.-03), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.-13), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas-16), Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas-07), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.-10), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas-29), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42), Jesús "Chuy" Garcia (D-Ill.-04), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.-06), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.-04), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.-04), Julie Johnson (D-Texas-32), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), Timothy Kennedy (D-N.Y.-26), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), Summer Lee (D-Penn.-12), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.-04), Christian Menefee (D-Texas-09), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.-06), Analilia Mejia (D-Calif.-39), Dave Min (D-Calif.-47), Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.-06), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-11), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.-07), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine-01), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.-02), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.-09), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.-05), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.-02), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.-06), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.-03), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Penn.-05), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.-12), Adam Smith (D-Wash.-09), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.-10), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.-01), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.-04), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.-02), Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.-15), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), Marc Veasey (D-Texas-33), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.-24).

Padilla has been a longtime champion of immigration rights and reform. Earlier this year, Padilla and his colleagues formally requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the Trump Administration's attacks on the legal immigration system. In 2022, Padilla joined Durbin and four of their Senate colleagues to introduce the Resolving Extended Limbo For Immigrant Employees And Families (Relief) Act, legislation to eliminate the family and employment green card backlog by increasing the number of green cards available.

Full letter is available here.

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