The Trump administration's efforts to reduce legal immigration have increasingly affected spouses of U.S. citizens, a group that has traditionally received special treatment under U.S. immigration law.

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Since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, the administration has introduced a series of immigration measures, including pausing immigrant visas for people from dozens of countries, expanding scrutiny during green-card interviews and broadening deportation enforcement. Immigration lawyers and advocacy groups say these changes have also reached people seeking permanent residency through marriage.

Broader Enforcement Reaches Families

According to advocates, some non-U.S. citizen spouses have been separated from their American partners, while others have become reluctant to continue with immigration applications because they fear detention or deportation.

Ashley DeAzevedo, executive director of American Families United, said the organisation has seen a sharp increase in requests for assistance over the past year. She said some members had chosen to leave the United States voluntarily, while others reported that their spouses had been detained during the immigration process.

Special Status Under Pressure

Immigration attorneys note that spouses of U.S. citizens have historically occupied a privileged position under immigration law. Unlike many other immigrant categories, they are not subject to annual visa caps and have generally benefited from more flexible adjustment-of-status rules.

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini of the American Immigration Lawyers Association said those legal protections remain in place, but argued that the current administration is applying immigration enforcement to spouses in much the same way as other non-citizens.

The administration rejects suggestions that the policy represents a departure from the law. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said all applicants seeking immigration benefits must undergo rigorous screening and vetting.

USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said filing or receiving approval of a family-based petition does not grant legal immigration status or protect someone from enforcement action. He added that individuals who entered the country unlawfully or overstayed their visas may still face deportation proceedings.

Family Immigration Remains a Major Pathway

Family sponsorship continues to account for a significant share of U.S. immigration approvals.

Homeland Security Department data from 2024 show that about 343,000 people obtained green cards through marriage, representing roughly one-quarter of all permanent residency approvals. When parents and children sponsored by immediate family members are included, family-based immigration accounts for nearly half of all green cards issued.

Average processing times have remained largely unchanged, at around 13 months for family petitions and seven months for fiancé petitions. During the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, authorities approved more than 167,000 immediate family petitions and over 8,600 fiancé petitions.

Delays and Uncertainty

Advocates say statistics do not fully capture the impact of recent policies on affected families.

Some spouses from countries subject to U.S. travel restrictions have experienced lengthy delays in citizenship and immigration applications. One permanent resident, identified only as E., said her pending citizenship application has disrupted her family's planned military relocation to Germany, creating uncertainty for her husband, who serves in the U.S. Army, and their two American-born children.

Lawyers also report increased scrutiny of marriage-based applications, including more interviews and additional requests for documentation. They say these changes have discouraged some families from pursuing immigration benefits.

California immigration attorney Eric Welsh said many applicants are now being asked to provide broader evidence, including proof of good moral character, while emphasising that marriage to a U.S. citizen does not automatically guarantee permanent residency or citizenship.

Advocates argue that the combination of stricter enforcement, longer reviews and uncertainty has made some couples hesitant to engage with the immigration system, fearing possible detention or other immigration consequences.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 7 July 2026

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Till deportation do us part.

These policies can be particularly cruel, heartless, unnecessary, dumb, poorly thought out, and draconian. A bit like everything else this highly ignorant trash man does.

Isn't Donald Trump's son then an anchor baby?

Deport him and Melanie who apparently lied for her US visa.

21 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

These policies can be particularly cruel, heartless, unnecessary, dumb, poorly thought out, and draconian. A bit like everything else this highly ignorant trash man does.

Another generalization from you.

You ignore the pay for status scams, and the exploitation that occurs with many of these "marriages". Legitimate spouses have little to fear.

6 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Another generalization from you.

You ignore the pay for status scams, and the exploitation that occurs with many of these "marriages". Legitimate spouses have little to fear.

I'm not referring to fear, I'm referring to hassle and some of us have realized that quality of life is such an important issue that we would rather pay an agent to avoid having anything to do with immigration.

I did that and the quality of my life improved dramatically here, and one of my chief complaints simply disappeared.

"Increased scrutiny" would have prevented gold digger Melania from staying in USA: she worked illegally while on tourist visa: kick her out. She somehow got an 'Einstein' visa when in no way shape or form does she have any special skills or abilities (tho I admit I never slept with her, tho friends of JE did...): kick her out.

And also that kid she had with Donald when she was NOT a citizen.

6 minutes ago, Emdog said:

"Increased scrutiny" would have prevented gold digger Melania from staying in USA: she worked illegally while on tourist visa: kick her out. She somehow got an 'Einstein' visa when in no way shape or form does she have any special skills or abilities (tho I admit I never slept with her, tho friends of JE did...): kick her out.

And also that kid she had with Donald when she was NOT a citizen.

Baron Trump is a birthright citizen whose dad is staunchly against. Such an irony. Even Balogun is a birthright citizen which got a tidy helping hand from Trump. Trump is a big joke.

So what ?

Forget the sob stories. If you're illegal get out.

Imagine trying that in Thailand. "Yeah I know i overstayed for 10 years but I'm married to Lek - sob/whimper".

They'd laugh and slam you in the IDC. Rightly so.

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

Another generalization from you.

You ignore the pay for status scams, and the exploitation that occurs with many of these "marriages". Legitimate spouses have little to fear.

So very true Patong, it is only the corrupt, illegal scam marriages that need to be deported. But the Democrats need these illegals to vote for them in the midterms and they are therefor upset.

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

These policies can be particularly cruel, heartless, unnecessary, dumb, poorly thought out, and draconian. A bit like everything else this highly ignorant trash man does.

Cry me a river…

50 minutes ago, Screaming said:

So very true Patong, it is only the corrupt, illegal scam marriages that need to be deported. But the Democrats need these illegals to vote for them in the midterms and they are therefor upset.

Holding true to the hallmarks of the trump administration, ignorance, incompetence and corruption.

53 minutes ago, Chosenfew said:

Cry me a river…

In about 4 months time, he will be the hunted again if he last that long.

The drive to keep a foreign spouse out is just as powerful in the UK, if not more so.

The hoops to jump through, financials, language tests, paper trails means many must be put off or they simply don't qualify.

4 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Isn't Donald Trump's son then an anchor baby?

Deport him and Melanie who apparently lied for her US visa.

You want to deport the remains of the Woodstock singer Melanie? She had beautiful voice.

On the other hand, that bimbo in the WH, Melania is arguably worse than the most hardcore hooker on Soi 6.I hear her voice I have to puke. She is perfect (like her beloved) for purging.

Wouldn't be surprised if Slovenia refused to take that national disgrace back.

2 hours ago, Chosenfew said:

Cry me a river…

Saint Donald. Total revisionist history, a complete reformation of his entire career, and a total erasure of his past crimes, moral terpitude, and a total and complete willingness to overlook a lifetime of moral bankruptcy.

With many people, once they got attached to a theory, it was hard to get them detached. They’d screen out unhelpful facts, invent favorable ones, and ignore contradictions in their own claims. Look at those Sandy Hook, multiple fraud convictions, and Jan. 6th truthers, babbling about false flags and crisis actors and all the rest. When people were motivated enough to believe something, they were going to believe it no matter what. There was no such thing as a bridge too far.

Immigrants are America's greatest riches. Thus has it ever been. Wait till things start falling apart and you discover just how much you needed that working population.

Diversity is US greatest strength - it won WW2…

The old white boys networks are dying off (think 1970s sitcoms) and the U.S. demographics will benefit immensely.

That is why Trumper is bringing in South African white farmers…what a farce

4 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

Diversity is US greatest strength - it won WW2…

The old white boys networks are dying off (think 1970s sitcoms) and the U.S. demographics will benefit immensely.

That is why Trumper is bringing in South African white farmers…what a farce

The USA was 89.8% white in 1942.

There are visas specifically for fiancees and married couples. If somebody can't be bothered to get one then that's their problem.

39 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

Diversity is US greatest strength - it won WW2…

The old white boys networks are dying off (think 1970s sitcoms) and the U.S. demographics will benefit immensely.

That is why Trumper is bringing in South African white farmers…what a farce

The white population in the USA remained stable at around 80% to 90% from the first census in 1790 through the mid-20th century.

It was still about 88% in 1969, when they were the first country to put a man on the moon.

Nowadays it's about 62%. It's been downhill ever since.

PS You find it a 'farce' to bring in white South Africans who are being genocided on their farmlands?

10 hours ago, temuFarang said:

The USA was 89.8% white in 1942.

There was no census in 1942. There was in 1940 & percentage you give is correct HOWEVER worth noting that during 1940 census "During this period, Hispanic and Latino Americans were primarily counted under the "White" category."

More fun facts: 1940 census was used to help locate Japanese Americans, round up and send to concentration camps, except for Hawaii (37-40% of population Japanese heritage... hmmm).

On 7/8/2026 at 2:45 PM, spidermike007 said:

Saint Donald. Total revisionist history, a complete reformation of his entire career, and a total erasure of his past crimes, moral terpitude, and a total and complete willingness to overlook a lifetime of moral bankruptcy.

With many people, once they got attached to a theory, it was hard to get them detached. They’d screen out unhelpful facts, invent favorable ones, and ignore contradictions in their own claims. Look at those Sandy Hook, multiple fraud convictions, and Jan. 6th truthers, babbling about false flags and crisis actors and all the rest. When people were motivated enough to believe something, they were going to believe it no matter what. There was no such thing as a bridge too far.

Thanks for letting us know your truth. MAGA.

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