'The days of exploiting our immigration system are over', says USCIS as Trump administration completes 100 days

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS ) said it has taken several steps in the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second administration to tighten immigration controls, address system vulnerabilities, and restore what it called "commonsense policies." The agency also highlighted steps it has taken over the past days to strengthen national security by improving screening and vetting procedures, assisting enforcement agencies, and reducing the exploitation of humanitarian parole and temporary protected status programs.


USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said “In the first 100 days, USCIS put a stop to disastrous Biden-era ‘humanitarian’ policies that invited fraud and allowed criminal aliens to legally live and work in our communities.” He added “Aliens, immigration attorneys and non-government organizations take note: the days of exploiting our immigration system are over. Aliens who want to live and work in America need to do it legally or get out.”


Alien Registration Requirement

USCIS said it implemented the Alien Registration Requirement (ARR) to track the presence of foreign nationals, review criminal records, and maintain awareness of activities inside the U.S. Nearly 47,000 submissions have been made under this new requirement as of April 29, the agency said. The agency has also deployed around 450 volunteers to support ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations across 85 facilities. Since January 20, 2025, USCIS has helped facilitate 369 arrests at its field offices.


In a joint effort with other agencies, USCIS said it played a critical role in taking down a large-scale marriage fraud scheme, leading to multiple indictments and arrests.


Changes to parole and protected status programs


USCIS announced the termination of broad humanitarian parole programs, including those for citizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Approximately 531,000 individuals have been notified of the termination of their parole and work authorizations.


In addition, USCIS ended the previous administration’s extensions of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti and Venezuela, aiming to curb what it described as the abuse of humanitarian relief pathways.


The agency reported completing 7,120 benefit fraud records and identifying fraud in over 4,600 cases. More than 2,200 site visits to workplaces were conducted, and social media activity of 3,568 subjects was screened.


USCIS said it has incorporated social media vetting focused on identifying anti-American and antisemitic sentiments, considering such findings as negative factors in immigration benefit assessments.