Trump weighs $100,000 bond for some green card applicants

The Trump administration is weighing a requirement for some green card applicants abroad to post a $100,000 bond, according to people familiar with the matter, as the White House broadens its immigration enforcement beyond border security into the legal immigration system.

"The proposed bond amount would be unprecedented in scale for a procedural requirement in the legal immigration process," said Elena Fischer, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. "It would effectively price out all but the wealthiest applicants from certain visa categories."

The bond, if implemented, would apply to a subset of applicants seeking permanent residency from outside the United States, the people said. The administration has not disclosed which specific visa categories or applicant profiles would be subject to the requirement, nor has it set a timeline for a formal proposal. The Wall Street Journal first reported the deliberations.

The $100,000 figure represents a significant escalation from existing bond requirements in the immigration system. Current immigration bonds, used primarily for individuals in removal proceedings or those seeking release from detention, typically range from $1,500 to $20,000, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data. A bond of this size for prospective green card holders would be without modern precedent.

Labor Market Implications

The policy could affect industries that rely on immigrant labor through employment-based green card categories. Sectors including technology, health care, agriculture and hospitality have drawn heavily on foreign-born workers to fill roles ranging from software engineering to seasonal farm labor. The U.S. issued about 1 million green cards in fiscal 2024, with roughly 140,000 in employment-based categories, according to USCIS data.

A $100,000 bond requirement would represent roughly 2.5 times the median U.S. household income of about $80,000, potentially deterring applicants from middle-income backgrounds. For family-based sponsorship categories, which accounted for about 65% of all green cards issued in recent years, the financial burden could fall on U.S. citizen petitioners rather than the applicants themselves.

Broader Immigration Crackdown

The bond proposal is the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration to tighten immigration controls. Since returning to office, the White House has moved to curb funding for legal aid groups serving unaccompanied minors, ended deferred action protections for certain visa holders, and accelerated deportation proceedings in immigration courts. Immigration judges have issued more than 10,000 removal orders per month for immigrant minors, nearly four times the rate during Trump's first term, according to a ProPublica analysis of court data.

The administration has argued that stricter enforcement is needed to deter illegal immigration and root out fraud in the legal system. A July 2025 government report found that since 2013, some 19,000 Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petitioners had criminal arrest records, including hundreds with serious charges. Critics say the administration is using exceptional cases to justify broad restrictions that penalize lawful immigrants.

The bond proposal faces an uncertain path. It would likely require a formal rulemaking process through the Department of Homeland Security, which could face legal challenges. Immigration attorneys have argued that such a high bond requirement may violate due process protections under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The administration has not indicated whether the bond would be refundable upon approval of permanent residency or upon departure from the United States.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.