Welcome to this month's issue of the Law Office of Spojmie Nasiri Immigration Law Newsletter. In this edition, we discuss the new civics test that USCIS has implemented, give updates on the possibility of USCIS accepting new DACA applications, and provide a flyer about how immigration is impacted by the government shutdown.
Last week, a large-scale immigration enforcement operation was planned in the San Francisco Bay Area after a surge of over 100 federal agents arrived in Alameda. However, President Trump called off the deployment after receiving pressure from tech CEOs, local leaders, and protests.
Although the surge last week was called off and the government is shut down, immigration enforcement actions are continuing across the state. So, it is important to stay vigilant as ICE continues raiding worksites, places of worship, and other community gathering locations.
We've developed this ICE Raid Action Center to provide a centralized place for resources and news updates that you and your family can use to help protect yourself against unlawful and unconstitutional activity being conducted by ICE.
Pending the final approval of U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas Andrew Hanen, the Department of Homeland Security plans to begin processing new applications under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, better known as DACA.
However, the U.S. government is currently shut down and there is no funding for the Department of Justice lawyers. As a result, deadlines that were previously scheduled in the case have been postponed.
If the judge accepts the government's plan after the government reopens, USCIS will begin accepting and processing new applications for DACA nationwide, which would entitle applicants to protection against deportation and a two-year work permit. Those in Texas, however, would receive protection against deportation but would not be eligible to receive a work permit. Under the proposed plan, current DACA participants in Texas would be able to renew their work permit for just one more renewal period, and any DACA participants who move into the state would be stripped of their work permit.
If you are eligible to apply for DACA, there could be an opportunity later this year to submit an application. Click the button below to read more about the update and learn about how our firm can assist you with preparing your application.
Our office previously wrote about changes that USCIS would be making to the Naturalization Civics Test that applicants are required to pass in order to become a U.S. citizen. That updated citizenship test is now in effect, as of October 20th, 2025.
Applicants who submitted their Form N-400 prior to October 20th will be subjected to the previous testing guidelines. Anyone who filed their Form N-400 on or after October 20th, 2025 must meet the updated standards, which includes passing the updated civics test by answering 12 out of 20 questions correctly. The questions are randomly selected from a bank of questions that has been expanded from 100 to 128.
Learn more about the updated citizenship test, and how our office can assist you with preparing for the test, by clicking the Read Article button below.
The U.S. government is officially shutdown, as Congress has reached an impasse on passing a budget. When the government shuts down, there is often a lot of confusion about what operations are suspended and what departments continue to function.
Because the majority of work done under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considered essential, offices remain open and continue to function during the shutdown - including Customs & Border Patrol and Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
Our law office has partnered with The American Immigration Lawyers Association to publish a helpful guide about how the immigration system is impacted by a government shutdown.
You can download the flyer by clicking the button below.
