Some workers may lose ability to work

NPR | By Yvette Fernandez

Published May 6, 2026 at 4:54 PM MDT

FILE - An information packet and an American flag are placed on a chair at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Miami Field Office on Aug. 17, 2018, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

Some lawmakers are warning that legal foreign workers in the United States may face multiple hurdles renewing their work permits which could impact both workers and businesses.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services changed a rule last year ending the automatic renewal of work permits for more than a dozen immigrant categories, including refugees. Now add budget cuts and longer processing times, and Democrats warn that many workers could lose their permits starting this spring without automatic renewals.

Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen was among 30 Democrats to force a procedure called a "congressional review" to bring attention to the issue.

"It will hurt families, small businesses, large businesses and our entire economy," Rosen said. "We risk losing three and a half million workers from our workforce. Employers are going to be forced to go without workers or have to let go of workers whose permits expired because the government took too long to issue their renewals."

Republicans did not support it.

In a public statement, the Department of Homeland Security said this is "a commonsense measure to ensure appropriate vetting and screening" to work in the United States.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.