Immigration News Roundup: Supreme Court Ruling, New Asylum Office, and Fees Arrive

Accurate as of May 25, 2026. Immigration rules change quickly, so confirm current details with an immigration attorney before you act.

The last week of May brought a Supreme Court decision, an expansion of USCIS asylum operations, and the arrival of new fees. Here is your roundup.

Supreme Court Sides With the Administration on Immigration Judges

On May 26, the Supreme Court ruled for the administration in Margolin v. National Association of Immigration Judges, a dispute over a policy governing immigration judges' outside speaking engagements. In an unsigned decision, the Court reversed a lower-court ruling, finding that the appeals court had improperly raised arguments the parties themselves never made.

The same day, the Court declined Florida's request to file an original action against California and Washington over commercial driver's licenses issued to undocumented immigrants. Justice Thomas, joined by Justice Alito, dissented from that denial.

USCIS Opens a San Antonio Asylum Office

Effective May 28, USCIS opened a new asylum office in San Antonio, Texas, to expand interview capacity. Affirmative asylum applicants who live within the Houston Asylum Office's jurisdiction may now be scheduled for interviews at either the Houston office or the new San Antonio location.

If you have a pending affirmative asylum case in that region, read any interview notice carefully, since it will tell you which office to report to. Mail correspondence still goes to the Houston address.

New Asylum Fees Take Effect May 29

May 29 is the effective date for the asylum-related fee rules implementing this year's reconciliation legislation. Among the changes is an annual asylum fee, and USCIS has indicated it will reject pending Form I-589 applications when the required fee is not paid within 30 days of notice.

Separately, DHS posted a Federal Register notice providing a six-month automatic extension of Temporary Protected Status for Lebanon, running through late November 2026. Affected Lebanese TPS holders should confirm their work authorization validity dates.

What Should You Do This Week?

1. Affirmative asylum applicants in the Houston and San Antonio region: watch for an interview notice and confirm your assigned office.
2. Asylum applicants nationwide: prepare for the annual asylum fee effective May 29 and respond to any fee notice within 30 days.
3. Lebanon TPS holders: review the six-month extension and verify your employment authorization dates.