TAKE ACTION: Stand With Stranded Refugees as the Administration Sets New Refugee Admissions Target

With just days until the new fiscal year, now is a critical moment for advocacy in support of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and for all those who have been left stranded by the ongoing refugee ban. Before October 1, the administration is required to consult with Congress and establish a new target for refugee admissions for the coming year.

Here’s where things stand:

Stranded overseas: The indefinite refugee and travel ban remain in place. Over a hundred thousand refugees who the U.S. government had conditionally approved for refugee status before Trump took office are now left waiting in limbo. More than 22,000 of these people were considered “ready for departure” and had completed all required medical checks and security screenings. More than 12,000 of that group had flights booked to the U.S. – many of whom had begun to move and sell belongings in preparation for their resettlement. All remain stranded overseas in increasingly dangerous conditions due to the administration’s ongoing refugee ban.

Targeted in their new homes: The passage of the administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is set to cut off refugees and other humanitarian entrants from food assistance (SNAP), Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, and premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, many humanitarian arrivals have been swept up in an indiscriminate and draconian enforcement system. On July 17 ICE detained an Afghan interpreter in Connecticut at a routine immigration appointment. His detention is one of many examples of humanitarian arrivals who have been improperly detained or deported.

Who is currently being resettled? The administration has continued to prioritize white South Africans for refugee resettlement ahead of and instead of other refugees (including tens of thousands of others who have already been vetted and approved and remain stranded by the ban). Recent reports suggest the administration may be preparing to set a Presidential Determination (PD) on refugee admissions that continues to prioritize groups like white South Africans and continues to keep out almost all other refugees. These plans threaten the fundamental integrity of a program that for decades has offered a lifeline to those fleeing persecution and violence from all around the world.

Now is an urgent time to call on our elected leaders and urge them to support the refugee resettlement program and ensure it protects the most at-risk refugees around the world.

CONTACT YOUR TWO SENATORS AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE

Sample Email Script: “My name is [insert name], and as your constituent from [City/Town] and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I urge you and your office to stand with refugees amid ongoing deliberations around a refugee admissions target for Fiscal Year 2026. I urge you to use your voice and oversight capacity to ensure the administration follows the law, consults with Congress on refugee admissions, and fully restores the refugee resettlement program for the most at-risk refugees around the world.

The ongoing refugee ban has stranded over 100,000 refugees who have been conditionally approved for refugee status when the President took office waiting in limbo. Reports suggest the administration is preparing to set a Presidential Determination (PD) on refugee admissions that continues to prioritize groups like white South Africans ahead of and instead of other refugees who have been waiting for years in the pipeline – including many family reunification cases, refugees with significant medical conditions, and unaccompanied refugee minors who have been stranded in increasingly dangerous situations. This is immoral.

Under the Refugee Act of 1980 – which remains the law of the land – the Trump administration is required to meaningfully consult with Congress to set refugee admissions for the coming year before October 1. I urge you to call on the Trump administration to follow the law and consult with Congress on refugee admissions. I further urge you to call on the administration to issue a robust Presidential Determination on refugee admissions that reflects global need and includes the most at-risk refugees around the world.

A growing majority of Americans support welcoming refugees and newcomers. Refugees bring enormous economic and sociocultural benefits to the communities where they resettle; they are small business owners, tax contributors, and job creators. Our community welcomes refugees, and I encourage you to do so as well.

Thank you,
[NAME]”

Sample Phone Script:

My name is [NAME] and as your constituent from [CITY and STATE], and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I urge you and your office to stand with refugees and encourage the Trump administration to fully restore the refugee resettlement program and resume resettlement for the most at risk refugees around the world.

Recent reports suggest the Trump administration is preparing to issue a Presidential Determination on refugee admissions for the next fiscal year. I urge your office to encourage the Trump administration to immediately resume refugee resettlement – starting with those refugees who have already been approved to be resettled and have been stranded by the ongoing refugee and travel bans.

I further urge your office to support key refugee funding accounts like the Refugee and Entrant Assistance account and the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, as well as vital legislation like the Afghan Adjustment Act and the Enduring Welcome Act.

My community welcomes refugees, and I encourage you to do the same.

Thank you,
[NAME]

Sample Social Media Posts

@[legislator]: We are stronger with refugees. The time to save refugee resettlement is now! #DefendRefuge
@[legislator]: Keep America Welcoming. Our communities are stronger when we stand with our new neighbors. #RefugeesWelcome #ImmigrantsWelcome
@[legislator]: More than 300 bipartisan state & local elected officials are calling for the restart of the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Join them in telling @POTUS @SecRubio #NoRefugeeBan! defendrefuge.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES