The Big Beautiful Bill Is Now Law — Here's What It Really Means for Immigrants

Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill became official as of July 4, 2025. The legislation was promoted as a patriotic fix to American security and spending, but behind its catchy name lies a set of provisions that dramatically reshape immigration policy.

For immigrant families, asylum seekers, and even lawful residents, the law introduces dangerous changes: higher costs, fewer rights, and dramatically increased enforcement.

What Is H.R. 1 — “The Big Beautiful Bill”?

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) is a comprehensive legislative package pushed by the Trump administration as their top priority in 2025. While it addresses tax policy and national security, the most alarming provisions focus squarely on immigration.

Supporters claim the law will restore order at the border and protect American jobs. But the reality is that it hands sweeping powers to enforcement agencies, limits humanitarian protections, increases filing fees, and reduces access to healthcare and legal support for immigrants. In doing so, it threatens decades of hard-won civil liberties and risks tearing families apart under the banner of “reform.”

New Immigration Filing Fees

For the first time in U.S. history, this law imposes broad, mandatory filing fees across many immigration benefits — shifting significant costs onto vulnerable applicants.

Below is the new minimum immigration fees included in the final law.

• Asylum Application: $100
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Annual Fee (Pending Asylum): $100
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Initial EAD for Asylum: $550
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Renewal EAD for Asylum: $275
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Parole Application: $1,000
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Initial EAD for Parole (1 year): $550
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Renewal EAD for Parole (1 year): $275
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• TPS Application: $500
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Initial EAD for TPS (1 year): $550
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Renewal EAD for TPS (1 year): $275
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Special Immigrant Juvenile: $250
  
  • Fee Waiver Available
• Visa Integrity Fee (Nonimmigrant Visa): $250
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• ESTA Fee (Visa Waiver): $40
  
  • Fee Waiver Available
• EVUS Fee (Chinese B visas): $30
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Adjustment of Status (in court): $1,500
  
  • Fee Waiver Available
• Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility: $1,050
  
  • Fee Waiver Available
• Suspension of Deportation / Cancellation: $600
• Cancellation of Removal (certain residents): $1,500
  
  • Fee Waiver Available
• Removed in Absentia: $5,000
  
  • No Fee Waiver
• Appeal to BA or DHS: $900
  
  • Fee Waiver Available
• Motion to Reopen or Reconsider: $900
  
  • Fee Waiver Available
• Inadmissible Arrested Between Ports: $5,000
  
  • Fee Waiver Available

These fees are set to increase annually with inflation and are largely non-waivable. For many immigrants, these costs make essential applications, such as renewing DACA, applying for work permits, or seeking citizenship, financially out of reach.

Medicaid and Safety Net Cuts for Immigrants

H.R. 1 also targets healthcare access for immigrant communities. Lawful permanent residents here fewer than five years lose Medicaid eligibility. DACA recipients and other legally present immigrants also lose access to coverage. Stricter eligibility checks could indirectly impact some U.S. citizen children in mixed-status families, but the law does not fully bar citizen children from Medicaid.

According to the bill and estimates reported, these cuts could remove Medicaid from more than 1.8 million people nationwide.

Healthcare is not just a budget issue, it’s a lifeline. Stripping access to care pushes families into deeper crisis.

Fast-Tracked Deportations and Reduced Legal Rights

This law also redefines how immigration courts operate. It expands expedited removal procedures and limits immigration judges’ ability to consider personal circumstances.

Under H.R. 1:

• Officers may deport anyone caught anywhere in the U.S., not just within 180 miles of the border, and within 30 days of entry — an even broader expansion of the prior policy.
• Judges have less discretion to weigh factors like family ties or danger in the home country.
• Immigration advocates warn that access to legal counsel may also be limited.

This fast-track system increases the risk of wrongful deportations, family separations, and returning vulnerable individuals — including children — to dangerous conditions. It prioritizes speed over fairness and due process.

Expanded Detention Infrastructure

The law dramatically expands detention capacity, authorizing up to 100,000 new detention beds, far exceeding prior capacity.

With billions more allocated to ICE facilities, immigrants — even those following the legal process — face a higher risk of being detained while awaiting hearings. This includes asylum seekers, green card applicants, and individuals apprehended during enforcement actions.

The law does not distinguish between those with and without criminal records and increases the use of for-profit detention centers, raising concerns about overcrowding, inadequate care, and lack of oversight.

What Immigrant Families Are Asking Right Now

Will ICE be allowed to arrest people at schools or hospitals?

Yes. The law removes prior protections for “sensitive locations.” Raids may occur in schools, churches, hospitals, and courthouses.

Will my kids lose access to Medicaid?

Possibly. If your family relies on a household member with uncertain or recent immigration status, your U.S. citizen children could lose coverage too.

What should I do right now?

Know your rights. Consult with a trusted immigration attorney. Keep your documents in order and have a plan for your family should separation happen.

Rozas Is Ready to Fight for You

At Rozas, we stand beside our immigrant community and those impacted by this law. Every day, we represent clients in removal defense, asylum cases, family petitions, bond hearings, and more. We know the system and we know how to fight back.

If you’re worried about how this law could affect you or your loved ones, don’t wait. Early legal action can change the outcome. We offer:

• Deportation defense
• Adjustment of status
• Family petitions
• Asylum and humanitarian relief
• And More

Call now or contact us to get started today with a confidential consultation.

This Law Isn’t Just Policy — It’s a Turning Point

The Big Beautiful Bill is more than a change in law — it’s a test of what kind of country we want to be. Will we uphold justice and dignity, or allow fear and punishment to define us?

At Rozas, we choose justice. We choose people. And no matter what Washington decides, we will keep fighting for the families who make this country stronger every day.

Stay informed. Stay protected. Stay with Rozas.
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