USCIS rewrites the green card routeThe U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Friday that most people in the country on temporary visas who want a green card will now have to leave the United States and apply from abroad. That means students, tourists, and temporary workers cannot use a U.S. stay as the automatic first rung on the residency ladder. USCIS said adjustment of status will remain available only in rare, case-by-case situations. In other words, the agency is dusting off the rulebook and acting shocked that the rulebook exists.The agency says the law was ignoredUSCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said the change returns immigration processing to the law’s original intent and cuts down on the pressure to find people who stay after being denied. He said applications handled from home countries will mostly move through State Department consular offices, which should free USCIS staff for other work, including visas for crime victims, human trafficking victims, and naturalization requests. The message is simple: if a visa says temporary, the government wants temporary to mean temporary, not a very long audition for permanence.Critics see a family and labor problemOpponents argue the policy will hit people who are already woven into American life,…

GOP Senators Want Rules Before The CashSenate Republicans are growing uneasy over President Donald Trump’s new $1.78 billion Justice Department fund, which the administration calls an anti-weaponization program. The money is tied to a deal with the IRS that ended Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit, and that alone is enough to make even seasoned lawmakers reach for the aspirin. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told senators that “anybody in this country will be eligible to apply,” which did not exactly calm the room. Critics worry the fund could end up paying people who assaulted police on Jan. 6 or others convicted of trying to harm the president. Officers who protected the Capitol that day sued Wednesday to block the fund, adding another layer of legal fog to a plan that already looks like it was assembled in a hurry.Thune And Cassidy Want The DetailsSenate Majority Leader John Thune said he is “not a big fan” of the fund and wants to know how it works. That is Capitol Hill shorthand for “show us the fine print before we all own this mess.” Thune said members have legitimate questions and want to know whether any future version would be fenced in properly.…