Recently, U.S. President Trump officially signed the "Secure America Act," providing approximately $70 billion in new funding to the U.S. immigration and border enforcement system, and locking in the relevant budget through fiscal year 2029.
This is one of the largest special appropriations for U.S. immigration enforcement in recent years.
For many families concerned about traveling to the U.S., studying abroad, status planning, and long-term immigration pathways, the passage of this act does not mean that U.S. immigration laws will change immediately, but the signal it sends is worth noting——in the coming years, changes in the U.S. immigration environment may stem more from an "upgrade in enforcement capabilities."
1. What are the $70 billion primarily used for?
According to public information, the funds are mainly directed toward three areas:
• Approximately $38 billion for ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement);
• Approximately $26 billion for CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection);
• Approximately $5 billion for projects related to the homeland security system and supporting expenditures.
In terms of usage, the funds are likely to focus on the following directions in the coming years:
First, increasing the number of enforcement personnel: including recruiting more officers, expanding training scales, and enhancing case processing capabilities.
Second, expanding the detention and removal system: including increasing detention capacity, upgrading related facilities, and improving execution efficiency.
Third, strengthening border management capabilities: including border patrols, identity verification, and upgrades to information management systems.
Fourth, enhancing nationwide collaborative enforcement capabilities: through technology and resource investment, improving the overall execution efficiency of the immigration management system.
Since budget execution, personnel recruitment, and infrastructure construction take time, the act taking effect does not mean immediate, obvious changes in the short term; the actual impact is expected to be released gradually.
2. What changes might occur in the U.S. immigration environment in the coming years?
As the enforcement system receives long-term funding support, the U.S. immigration environment may show several trends in the coming years.
First, identity verification may become more meticulous.
Whether for visa applications, extensions, status changes, or green card applications, requirements for document review, background checks, and information consistency are likely to be further increased.
Second, identity management may place more emphasis on continuity.
An applicant's entry and exit records, historical status, and the consistency between materials may become more important aspects of the review.
Third, enforcement efficiency may improve.
With the expansion of personnel and facilities, case progression, detention management, and execution efficiency may be faster than in the past.
Fourth, the enforcement environment may further diverge between different regions.
In the future, some states and cities may strengthen local collaboration, leading to differences in the experience of identity management.
It must be emphasized that these changes are more reflected in the improvement of execution capabilities and do not represent a major adjustment to immigration policy itself.
3. What does this mean for international students, visa holders, and immigration applicants?
For most legal applicants, there is no need for excessive worry. Normal study, legal work, and handling extensions or status applications as required will generally not automatically make one a target of enforcement due to the increase in the enforcement budget.
However, in the coming years, one trend may become increasingly apparent: identity management will place more emphasis on long-term compliance.
Ultimately, what this $70 billion investment changes is not U.S. immigration law, but potentially the execution capabilities of the U.S. immigration system in the coming years.
Policy remains important, but in an environment where execution capabilities are continuously strengthening, the importance of long-term compliance and advance planning may become increasingly prominent.
4. Under the trend of long-term compliance, EB-5 is receiving significant attention
If changes in the U.S. immigration environment in the coming years stem more from improved execution capabilities, then for many families, what needs to be considered is "how to establish a more stable and sustainable status arrangement."
From the perspective of existing policies, the U.S. EB-5 investment immigration program is one of the long-term status pathways with high market attention.
First, EB-5 has extremely strict requirements for the source of funds. Second, EB-5 adopts a phased review mechanism, with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) continuously reviewing investment compliance and project execution. Furthermore, the EB-5 program itself has been operating for over 30 years, with a highly mature legal framework and operational path, emphasizing authentic investment and long-term compliance.
5. The current window is still open, but the time factor is worth noting
Currently, under the new EB-5 law, we are still in a relatively favorable policy window. Taking rural EB-5 projects as an example, they currently enjoy the advantage of no visa retrogression and priority processing; at the same time, the "concurrent filing" policy allows eligible applicants in the U.S. to file Form I-526E and Form I-485 simultaneously, quickly obtaining a Combo card, thereby achieving legal residency, work authorization, and travel convenience as early as possible.
However, this window will not exist indefinitely. As reserved visa quotas continue to be consumed, pressure from retrogression is gradually emerging; meanwhile, the grandfather clause will expire on September 30; the minimum investment amount may rise from the current $800,000 to $900,000-$937,500 or even higher on January 1, 2027.
For families who have clear needs for U.S. educational planning, long-term residency, or global asset allocation, the earlier they complete their assessment and planning, the easier it is usually to lock in the current relatively clear policy conditions. WorldWay holds high-quality EB-5 projects such as the "Marriott Lakeview Resort" and "Hilton Sugar Mountain" to help investors quickly realize their U.S. status planning.
For inquiries in Mainland China: 400-138-2929, Hong Kong Customer Service Center: (852)2802 8798