Pope names pro-immigration bishop to Florida diocese near Trump's Mar-a-Lago. Rev. Rodríguez advocates for migrant assistance, opposes deportations.

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing for a more aggressive immigration crackdown in 2026 with billions in new funding, including by raiding more workplaces — even as backlash builds ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

The Trump administration has finalized a controversial immigration rule that will significantly change the H-1B selection process.

Catholic bishops in Florida have asked President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis “to pause immigration enforcement activities during the Christmas holidays.”

USCIS and DHS have also confirmed that inflation-based fee adjustments will take effect January 1, 2026, increasing costs for several asylum, parole, and TPS-related filings, work authorization requests tied to those categories, and certain DHS travel programs such as ESTA and EVUS.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defiantly defended the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies on Thursday during a House committee hearing, portraying migrants as a major threat faced by the nation that justifies a crackdown that has seen widespread arrests,

A union-aligned investment group sent letters to Amazon, Walmart and Alphabet on Wednesday, asking how U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies were impacting their finances and supply chains,

The hours-long interview touched on many issues, but included stark criticism of the Afghanistan withdrawal, which Hunter Biden admitted was an "obvious f***ing failure."

Overall enrollment of international students across South Dakota’s six public universities dropped by 76 students.