IN THE NEWS TODAY
Thursday, September 24, 2026
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
Member of Congress Barred From New Federal Plaza Immigration Courtroom
New York Focus | September 23, 2026
Rep. Dan Goldman and his staff were denied access Wednesday to the new immigration courtroom operating inside DHS-controlled space at 26 Federal Plaza. Nine of 22 people scheduled there did not appear and were ordered deported in absentia; many of the people whose hearings New York Focus observed were teenagers.
New Study Finds Migration Surge Raised GDP and Native-Born Wages—While Also Increasing Rents
Brookings Papers on Economic Activity | September 23, 2026
A new study of the 2021–2024 migration surge estimates that average metropolitan GDP increased 1.5%, native-born wages rose 0.9%, native-born employment remained roughly unchanged and rents increased 1.4%–1.6%. The New York City metro was the largest destination for recent immigrants in the study.
FEDERAL POLICIES & THE COURTS
Federal Medicaid Changes for Lawfully Present Immigrants Begin October 1
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants | September 23, 2026
A new policy explainer examines federal changes that will remove Medicaid, CHIP or ACA eligibility from hundreds of thousands of lawfully present immigrants nationally beginning October 1 and identifies remaining coverage pathways for some refugees and other humanitarian populations.
Immigration Changes Add Pressure to Direct-Care Workforce Shortages
Wisconsin Watch | September 23, 2026
Home-care and nursing providers report losing workers and abandoning international recruitment plans following TPS terminations and refugee-program restrictions. The issue has particular relevance for New York, where IIIRP finds immigrants constitute 61.68% of the home-care workforce.
AROUND THE NATION
New Investigation Separates Noncitizen Registration Errors From Actual Voting
Reuters / The Daily Record | September 23, 2026
Official records indicate software and clerical errors may have mistakenly placed more than 30,000 self-identified noncitizens on voter rolls since 2000. The investigation found no evidence that all—or most—of those mistakenly registered actually voted, highlighting the importance of distinguishing administrative registration errors from illegal voting.
IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION FACT OF THE DAY
IIIRP’s 2021 Data Gateway demographic files focus on foreign-born New Yorkers ages 16–64.
The county-level data cover eight dimensions including country of origin, language, English proficiency, educational attainment, age, employment sector and poverty.
Source: IIIRP Data Gateway | U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2021
