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American Immigration is Ending With the Coming Trump Administration
In 1924, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924 (or Johnson-Reed Act), a law that fundamentally reshaped the immigration system in the United States. It sharply restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, banned immigration from Asia almost entirely, and introduced strict quotas based on national origin. For the generation of immigrants who had arrived in waves from the 1880s to the 1920s, this marked the end of an era. For most, it was a sudden and dramatic shift they did not foresee.
I believe we are on the precipice of another such sudden and dramatic moment. The age of American immigration as we’ve known it since 1965, when the Hart-Celler Act abolished discriminatory quotas and opened pathways for family-based immigration, is coming to an abrupt close. Yes, I, an immigration lawyer for the past decade, believe that American immigration is ending. The mechanisms may differ, but the outcome will be the same: a sharp, decisive curtailment of immigration to the United States.
In my recent letter to my firm’s clients, I shared my belief that the next presidential administration could oversee fundamental changes to immigration policy. Some will be obvious: a resurgence of restrictive policies like public charge rules, greater scrutiny of applicants through Requests for Evidence, and intentional delays in adjudication. But some changes will occur more subtly, through a combination of structural reorganizations and political strategies designed to discourage immigration altogether.
Consider the proposed consolidation of USCIS, CBP, and ICE into a reconstituted INS, a concept floated by Project 2025. Such a restructuring would likely signal a philosophical shift from service to enforcement, with devastating implications for immigrants seeking to reunite with family or pursue the American dream. Programs like Diversity Visas and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), already on precarious footing, may be eliminated entirely. Even family-based immigration, the cornerstone of U.S. immigration since 1965, could be rendered unworkable under the weight of administrative obstacles.
The chilling effects are already evident. Anxiety among family-based immigration clients is higher than I’ve seen in years. Many are coming to me in states of heightened worry, grappling with a system that is becoming increasingly unpredictable.
Why I’m Stepping Away from Family-Based Immigration
For me, this is not just a professional pivot; it is a moral decision. As someone who remembers the emotional and mental exhaustion of representing clients during the 2017–2021 period, I know how devastating it can be for clients—and for attorneys—to pursue applications that are likely to go nowhere. Filing applications in good faith, only to see them entangled in bureaucratic limbo or dismissed outright due to systemic changes, is not something I am willing to do again.
I’ve decided to focus my practice on employment-based immigration, particularly the H-2B and EB-3 visa categories (with a special focus on family employers) which are likely to endure due to bipartisan support for their economic contributions. Programs like H-2B, which provide seasonal labor to industries that depend on it, are among the few immigration avenues that remain somewhat insulated from the coming storm.
That said, even these programs are not immune. In my letter to clients, I noted that I expect H-2B visa caps to tighten, with DHS potentially ending the practice of issuing supplemental visa slots. Beyond that, the H-2B and H-2A programs could suddenly find themselves on the chopping block if the most strident voices in the next administration succeed.
Should these programs be eliminated, I may have to exit the immigration field entirely. To be clear, this would not be a personal catastrophe for me; I would adapt and find other opportunities. I mention this not out of concern for myself but to highlight a broader reality. My pivot would likely reflect a trend among immigration practitioners and signal a profound reshuffling of the American workforce. As immigration slows dramatically, industries, communities, and careers built on the flow of people into the United States would need to reimagine their futures in the face of a shrinking immigrant population.
A Profound Shift in America’s Identity
Bottom line, if the age of American immigration truly ends, it will mark a profound change in how this nation understands itself. Just as the Immigration Act of 1924 froze one vision of America’s future, the changes we are witnessing now will bring a chill to the notion of an America that has grown richer, browner, blacker, and far more heterogeneous since 1965.
What remains to be seen is whether this is a temporary pause, as we saw during the 40 years between 1924 and 1965, or a permanent redefinition of who America is and who it will welcome.
I invite you to reflect on this: Are we entering a new era or repeating an old one? And what does this mean for the soul of a country that has long defined itself as a nation of immigrants?
