This Article was finalized prior to breaking developments on December 19-20, 2025, revealing a significant policy shift by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding third-country transfers to Uganda under the Asylum Cooperation Agreement (ACA).
Lately, the U.S. government, through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been trying to speed up the denial of asylum applications by pointing to a deal called the Asylum Cooperative Agreement (ACA) with Uganda, signed on July 29, 2025, and made public on September 3, 2025.
Understanding Matter of Cahuec Tzalam (BIA 2025) A newly published decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)—Matter of Miguel Angel Otoniel Cahuec Tzalam, decided November 14, 2025—significantly affects how young people pursuing Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status are treated in immigration court. This ruling limits the ability of Immigration Judges to administratively close removal cases for SIJ applicants who are waiting for their petitions or for visa availability. For many children and young adults depending on administrative closure as a way to pause their deportation cases while USCIS processes their SIJ petitions, this is a major change. This article explains:
The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has just issued a far-reaching decision that sharply limits what Immigration Judges (IJs) can do in “withholding-only” proceedings—cases that arise after a previously deported person reenters the United States and expresses fear of persecution or torture.
On November 14, 2025, The Washington Post published a major investigative report revealing that the Trump administration is preparing to deport Ukrainian nationals with final orders of removal, even as Ukraine remains embroiled in one of the most destructive wars on European soil since World War II.
The United States has long upheld a proud tradition of welcoming immigrants who come in good faith: those who seek freedom, opportunity, and the chance to contribute to civic society. But openness does not equate to unlimited access—especially not when a person seeks to live, work, or become a citizen while simultaneously rejecting or undermining the very institutions, ideals, and communities that underpin the American experiment.
