The Quiet Power of Discretion: How immigration officers decide who receives a benefit — and who is allowed in

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a policy memorandum — PM-602-0199, issued on May 21, 2026 — with a title that set off alarm across the immigration bar: “Adjustment of Status is a Matter of Discretion and Administrative Grace.” The press release that accompanied it went further, announcing that USCIS would grant adjustment of status […]
