Why It Matters

A private individual named Ziv Reizman has filed a new lobbying registration disclosure with Washington lobbying firm Ellis & Co. LLC, registering to lobby on immigration issues. The filing, signed May 1, 2026, marks Reizman's first appearance in the lobbying disclosure database.

Individual clients hiring lobbying firms for immigration matters are uncommon. Most lobbying activity on immigration comes from corporations, trade associations, or advocacy groups. The decision by a private individual to engage a Washington firm signals the degree to which personal immigration cases have become entangled in the current political environment. No specific legislation is cited in the disclosure, which is consistent with a personal matter rather than a broad policy campaign.

The Big Picture

The new lobbying filing lists $0 in disclosed compensation, standard for an initial registration before quarterly activity reports are filed. Peggy Ellis of Ellis & Co. LLC is the sole lobbyist on the registration. Ellis has a limited recent footprint in the lobbying disclosure database; her most recent active client before this registration was the Monoamine Oxidase Deficiency Foundation, for which she filed three disclosures between the Fourth Quarter of 2023 and the Third Quarter of 2024, totaling $64,500 in reported compensation. That work focused on securing federal funding for pre-clinical medical research.

Ellis & Co. LLC has a longer history of immigration-related lobbying. Historical filings show the firm represented Esperanza on immigration reform and related issues between 2009 and 2018, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on immigration reform in 2010 and 2014. The Reizman registration marks a return to immigration work for the firm after a period focused on medical research advocacy.

The lobbyist registration lists immigration as the sole issue area. No specific legislation is cited in the disclosure, nor are any specific issues described in the filing. Without additional quarterly reports, the precise nature of the lobbying activity, whether it involves visa matters, green card proceedings, or other immigration processes, is not known from the available record.

The filing arrives during a period of significant federal immigration enforcement activity. According to the White House's border priorities page, the Trump administration has reported deporting more than 605,000 individuals, with an additional 1.9 million self-deporting as of May 1, 2026. In December 2025, the White House issued a presidential action restricting entry of foreign nationals, citing visa overstay rates and national security concerns. In March 2026, the administration lifted a total ban on reviewing asylum applications, though a pause remained in effect for approximately 40 countries, according to Wikipedia's summary of second Trump administration immigration policy.

Newsweek reported that major policy shifts heading into 2026 include a revived and expanded "public-charge" test for green card applicants, giving immigration officers broader discretion in individual cases. Manifest Law noted that individuals navigating the U.S. immigration system in 2025 and 2026 face heightened scrutiny of digital profiles and personal histories. Just days before this disclosure was signed, the Daily News reported that the Trump administration appeared to be recalibrating its mass deportation policy after the anti-immigration agenda lost popularity with voters.

What They're Saying

Congressional lobbying activity on immigration has been substantial in the period leading up to this registration. A search of the broader congressional record identified 3,562 total communications touching on immigration during the relevant period.

Notable recent congressional activity includes:

On the hearing front, the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement held a hearing in June 2025 titled "Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process." The Joint Economic Committee held a March 2026 hearing examining labor inflows and high-skilled immigration policy. The House Judiciary Committee held a March 2026 hearing on the implications of Plyler v. Doe for federal education policy and immigrants.

The Bottom Line

Ziv Reizman's entry into the congressional lobbying activity record is notable primarily because private individuals rarely engage Washington lobbying firms directly. The registration arrives as federal immigration enforcement reaches levels not seen in decades, creating a climate in which individuals with pending immigration matters may find administrative and legal channels insufficient on their own. Quarterly reports, when filed, will offer a clearer picture of what the engagement entails.

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