Last updated: Friday, May 2, 2025
This resource provides daily updates from the CWS policy team in your inbox on the latest policy changes; the morning’s headlines on key issues impacting refugees and immigrants; and updated tools to take action. Subscribe now to receive daily updates on the latest developments and ways to support impacted communities.
State of Play |
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The latest: In a status conference yesterday in Pacito v. Trump, a federal judge “expressed frustration” with the Trump administration for failing to take decisive action to abide by a recent Ninth Circuit order to resume the processing and resettlement of refugees who had “arranged and confirmable” travel plans that were cancelled when the refugee ban went into effect on January 22. The judge concluded that the next step in the case was for him to establish “a compliance framework to ensure the court’s injunction – partially stayed as it may be – is carried out …with haste.” A recording of the full status conference remains available here. Plaintiffs argued during the conference that there are an estimated 14,000 refugees stranded in the pipeline who had travel booked to the U.S. and who should qualify as “injunction protected refugees” as clarified by the Ninth Circuit. They noted that at least with regards to the pipeline for plaintiffs CWS and HIAS, approximately 25% of these covered refugees have current “Must Travel By” dates and – if the program swiftly resumes as required – could be processed and resettled without needing to repeat medical and security screenings. While the administration’s counsel agreed that over 10,000 refugees had flights cancelled by the refugee ban, it argued for an interpretation of “arranged and confirmable” travel as only applying to the approximately 160 refugees who had travel booked to the U.S. within a two week period following the implementation of the refugee ban executive order on January 20. In his testimony, the government’s lawyer also confirmed that “the State Department is currently in talks with one agency on the domestic front,” to provide Reception and Placement (R&P) services to the very small number of refugees it does intend to resettle. The judge voiced disagreement with the administration’s exceedingly narrow reading of the Ninth Circuit’s order and criticized the government for “working with one hand behind his back” by failing to fully restore contracts with resettlement agencies. Follow the latest filings in the court here. Budget reconciliation latest. House Republicans are delaying planned markups for their massive budget reconciliation package, which seeks to extend tax cuts, dramatically increase spending on ICE enforcement and border militarization, and pay for it by cutting public assistance programs like Medicaid and imposing significant new fees on humanitarian applications like asylum. House Speaker Mike Johnson had set a Memorial Day deadline for the bill to come to a vote, but significant internal disagreements have delayed the schedule. The bill would also need to move forward in the Senate, where there has not yet been a single markup of any aspect of the package. Details emerge about “enforced disappearances” of migrants to Salvadoran prison as another judge rules against invocation of Alien Enemies Act. In a lengthy New York Times report first published on Wednesday, new details emerged about the deal the Trump administration struck with Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele to house deported migrants in a feared mega-prison called “CECOT.” The article reveals Bukele had quietly expressed concerns that those the U.S. hoped to send to CECOT were not “convicted criminals” and demanded assurances that Venezuelans who were brought there to be incarcerated were members of the Tren De Aragua gang. Previous reporting has noted that the majority of the hundreds of migrants sent to the prison by the U.S. have no convictions or even any criminal charges. On May 1, a federal judge in Southern Texas issued the first definitive decision on the legality of the administration’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport Venezuelan migrants to CECOT without access to due process. Several other courts (including the Supreme Court) have pushed back on Trump’s use of the AEA, but yesterday’s permanent injunction is the first to rule directly on the legality of the administration’s invocation of the program. The judge, who was appointed by Trump in 2018, deemed the administration’s use of the AEA illegal — although the ruling only applies to the southern Texas-based district where the judge presides. Read a Human Rights First analysis of the administration’s “enforced disappearances” of migrants here, and read CWS’ statement on the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act here. |
Today’s Headlines, Calls to Action and Community Resources |
Stories of Impact |
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Loni is a mother of six children who fled violence and torture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The family’s flight to Houston to reunite with her husband (the children’s father) was scheduled for February – but it was cancelled after the ban went into effect. Loni and her children are now stuck indefinitely in Malawi. Pacito is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who was approved for resettlement and scheduled for travel with his wife and baby. They had sold all the family’s possessions and given up their home in preparation – but their flight was abruptly cancelled by the refugee ban. As of April 25, Pacito and his family remain stranded, and their medical screenings and exit visas have now expired. Zenayda is a refugee who resettled in Texas who has been trying for years to get her child to safety after many attempts have been made to kidnap the child. The child’s flight was booked to arrive in February. That flight has now been cancelled, and the child’s case – which is listed as “extremely vulnerable” – is now once again delayed. Find more stories of impact here. |