In 2025, the U.S. immigration law landscape is undergoing significant change. The Trump administration is in its second term and has made immigration a key area of emphasis. The year’s new immigration laws reflect a shift toward stricter enforcement, updated application procedures, and changing eligibility rules that affect families, workers, and humanitarian applicants alike.
At EMP Law, our North Carolina immigration attorneys help clients understand how U.S. immigration laws affect their cases. We provide clear guidance for visas, green cards, citizenship, deportation defense, and family-based petitions, combining federal experience with knowledge of North Carolina’s unique enforcement practices.
Please don’t hesitate to contact an Immigration lawyer online or call (336) 724-2828 today for a consultation.
New Immigration Laws
With the Trump administration’s return, the government has increased hostility toward immigrants, increasing enforcement of immigration law and scaling back humanitarian protections. Federal policy in 2025 emphasizes tighter enforcement of existing immigration laws while revising employment and humanitarian pathways.
Executive Orders
The administration issued executive orders defining its immigration policies, including orders that:
- Expand expedited removal nationwide. Executive Order 14159 (Protecting the American People Against Invasion) authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to apply expedited removal to noncitizens anywhere in the country who cannot prove two years of continuous residence.
- Restrict asylum eligibility. The same order suspends asylum for individuals entering outside of official ports of entry and directs the Department of Justice to expedite the adjudication of border-related cases, thereby limiting opportunities to present full asylum claims.
- Increase penalties for migrant transport and assistance. Executive Order 14159 also expands criminal penalties for transporting, harboring, or employing undocumented migrants and allows joint federal–state enforcement task forces along the southern border.
- Invite state participation in immigration enforcement. Under Executive Order 14159, states may now coordinate directly with federal authorities in border operations and detention initiatives, a change that strengthens cooperative enforcement measures like laws recently enacted in North Carolina.
- Attempt to narrow birthright citizenship. Executive Order 14160 (Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship) directs federal agencies to deny citizenship to children born in the US to parents without lawful status—a policy currently blocked by litigation.
- Reinstate enhanced vetting and travel restrictions. Executive Order 14161 (Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats) revives prior travel-ban mechanisms, expands biometric data collection, and orders new country-specific security reviews for visa applicants.
Together, these executive orders signal a shift toward anti-immigrant and anti-immigration policies.
Humanitarian Cutbacks
The Trump administration is also focusing on eliminating humanitarian protections offered by the US government. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) eliminated many Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations, discarded Biden administration proposals designed to support family unity, and abandoned programs offering humanitarian parole to people from war-torn countries like Ukraine. These changes have created uncertainty for many, leaving them with no safe places to return. Read more about humanitarian parole and immigration benefits and U visa approval rates.
Increased Enforcement of Immigration Laws in the US
At the new administration’s direction, immigration enforcement of current immigration laws increased nationwide. What are the current immigration laws? In brief, current laws allow the government to:
- Take individuals who are suspected of violating immigration laws into custody,
- Place those individuals into removal (deportation) proceedings, and
- Prove to an immigration judge that the individual is deportable.
In North Carolina, new laws have an impact on the relationship between ICE and local law enforcement. Local law enforcement agencies are now required, by North Carolina law, to cooperate with federal authorities, including ICE. Additionally, when a sheriff arrests a noncitizen, they must now frequently notify ICE about the arrest before releasing the individual from custody. ICE can request that the sheriff not release them if the noncitizen has an immigration hold or faces certain types of criminal charges.
For mixed-status families and permanent residents with pending matters, this environment raises the stakes of routine encounters with law enforcement. Practical risk management includes keeping identity and status documents organized, understanding court obligations, and speaking with counsel before travel.
New Processes and Requirements in Immigration Laws
Process updates change how cases move from filing to decision. USCIS is continuing to increase online filing. The agency also revised several forms and increased filing fees for common applications. Applicants and sponsors may face stricter documentation standards and longer preparation timelines.
In 2025, immigration has experienced one of the most significant policy shifts since 2020, combining federal enforcement priorities with new state-level mandates. EMP Law stays at the forefront of US immigration laws, guiding clients through applications and deportation defense strategies.
Contact EMP Law today to discover how the current immigration laws may impact your path forward in the United States.
Resources:
Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion, link.
Executive Order 14160: Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship, link.
Executive Order 14161: Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats, link.
ABC 11, New NC laws take effect including stricter immigration enforcement, public safety act changes, link.
WelcomeUS, Latest changes to humanitarian parole programs, including private sponsorship programs, link.
Our Winston-Salem Office is at 328 N Spring Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101.
Our Charlotte Office is at 300 E. Kingston Avenue, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28203.
Helen believes in providing caring, thoughtful and thorough representation for each and every person.
In particular, Helen focuses on helping individuals navigate the maze of rules, procedures and processes created by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and those facing criminal charges or deportation.
She represents clients facing criminal charges in both state and federal court. She is a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel of attorneys in the Middle District of North Carolina, and is admitted to practice before the Eastern, Middle and Western District Federal Courts as well as the Fourth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal.
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