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Tech News
Technology industry associations are pressing the Trump administration to withdraw a proposed Department of Homeland Security rule that would impose a $103,265 fee on H-1B visa applications. The proposal has revived long-running tensions between the administration and tech companies over the future of skilled-worker immigration policy.
EFF joined the ACLU, ACLU of D.C., and photography trade groups in an amicus brief urging the D.C. Circuit to strike down an FAA drone flight restriction in Levine v. FAA. The rule had barred drones from flying near DHS officers and vehicles, including ICE and CBP convoys, effectively blocking aerial recording of immigration enforcement even from over half a mile away. Although the FAA rescinded the restriction in April after being sued, the petitioner argues the case should still be decided because past violations remain punishable and the agency could reimpose the rule.
Economists Michael A. Clemens and Ethan G. Lewis used the random letter-based processing of H-2B seasonal worker visa petitions by the Department of Labor to measure the impact of denying low-skill foreign labor to U.S. employers. They found that firms unlucky enough to be shut out of visas due to the annual 66,000-visa cap did not hire more American workers to fill the gap; instead, these businesses simply shrank in size.
An FBI memo reportedly advised ICE officers to be cautious of women on dating apps, including those presenting as "tradwives," whose profiles seem tailored to appeal to them. The warning suggests such profiles could be used to identify, track, or expose agents' identities.
The Trump administration has appealed a federal court ruling that blocked its policy allowing detention and deportation of noncitizen researchers who study harmful online content, arguing they pose national security risks. Separately, a judge dismissed a related lawsuit from Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, ruling that courts lack jurisdiction to stop deportation proceedings even though she criticized Secretary of State Marco Rubio's justification for targeting him.
New federal rules, including a proposed $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications introduced in September 2025, are adding to a string of immigration restrictions on skilled foreign workers. IEEE Spectrum found that U.S. tech companies are responding by expanding hiring and opening offices abroad rather than sponsoring visas domestically, though none of the 25 firms contacted would discuss the shift publicly.
WIRED obtained and analyzed Flock Safety's police surveillance software, revealing tools that let officers set up automated, ongoing searches across camera networks for people matching a written description, not just vehicle plates. The company added safeguards in August—shorter data retention, mandatory case codes, and automated audits—after facing canceled contracts, congressional scrutiny, and a finding that Illinois camera data reached federal immigration agents in violation of state law.
Sahuarita, Arizona police chief John Noland told the Daily Wire that his 68-officer department has used electric-shock gloves, known as GLOVEs, for roughly two years, calling the devices successful at gaining compliance. His comments follow reporting that ICE has ordered a large supply of the same equipment and that Oklahoma officers used them on students during the 2025-2026 school year.
Emails obtained through public records requests show that state's attorneys in roughly one-sixth of Illinois counties shared personal details about immigrants facing local charges with federal immigration agents. One case involved Marion County prosecutor John Christeson sending a Homeland Security Investigations agent the birth date, address and court schedule of Rolando Perez Samayoa, a man facing a DUI charge, who was arrested by federal agents weeks later along with his teenage son.
Nidia Webb, who has lived in the UK for eight years with settled status, was blocked from boarding her flight home from Spain after the Home Office's eVisa system confused her digital immigration record with that of her identical twin sister. She spent hours on the phone before the issue was resolved and she was allowed to fly home, though a confirmation email meant to reassure her was mistakenly sent to her sister instead.