Last updated: Thursday, October 9, 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: The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has come to a complete halt and will remain frozen until the President issues a new refugee admissions target for Fiscal Year 2026. The target is expected to be set at 7,500 with the majority of slots reserved for Afrikaners, per New York Times and Reuters reporting. This figure would represent a historic low and leave refugees fleeing displacement crises around the world stranded, including the over 100,000 who were conditionally approved for resettlement when the indefinite refugee ban went into effect in late January 2025. The legally required congressional consultation and issuance of the refugee admissions target is expected to take place after the government shutdown ends. Until then, join us in calling on Congress to stand with refugees and the communities waiting to welcome them. ICE shoots clergy with pepper balls and one minister sues; National Guard arrives to Chicago. A video of ICE shooting a praying minister in the head with a pepper ball went viral on X yesterday. The minister, Reverend David Black of First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, has joined a lawsuit challenging immigration enforcement’s response to protests in his community. Other clergy have also been shot multiple times with pepper bullets while praying outside of detention facilities near Chicago. Multiple faith-based protesters believe that their religious freedom is threatened and violated by the violence. There are now approximately 500 National Guard members in the Chicago area, despite an ongoing lawsuit and the Illinois governor’s opposition. Lawsuit challenges implementation of new annual asylum fee. On October 3, the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) filed a lawsuit challenging U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) and Executive Office of Immigration Review’s (EOIR) implementation of the new $100 annual asylum fee. The lawsuit seeks to stop USCIS and EOIR from dismissing or denying asylum applications based on failure to pay the fee, especially in light of widespread concern arising from EOIR neglecting to establish a functional payment system. In a press release, asylum seeker Jeff said, “I’m frustrated the government has taken so long to decide my case, and now they want to charge me for their delay. The government hasn’t told me when or how to pay, and I’m scared that if I miss my window, they will dismiss my asylum application.” Judge finds ICE’s warrantless arrests violate consent decree and federal law. On Tuesday, a federal judge found that ICE arrested nearly two dozen people this year without warrants in violation of a 2022 consent decree. The Castañon Nava consent decree bars ICE from arresting people without warrants or probable cause. The judge extended this consent decree to February 2026 and ordered ICE to disclose the number of immigrants subjected to warrantless arrest moving forward. A filing from the National Immigrant Justice Center and the ACLU of Illinois describes how people were “grabbed by federal agents while walking in their neighborhoods; snatched from Home Depot parking lots; pulled from their cars during traffic stops; taken away from their minor children; and woken in the early hours of the morning by federal agents, accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who used an explosive device to break open the door of their home.” The majority of registered voters think the process of deporting people has not been fair and disapprove of President Trump’s handling of immigration, according to the latest New York Times and Siena University survey. |
Today’s Headlines, Calls to Action and Community Resources |
Stories of Impact |
| Zenayda is a refugee who resettled in Texas who has been trying for years to get her child to safety after many kidnapping attempts. 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
Doaa is a single mom with three children who have been forcibly displaced and are currently living as refugees in Cairo, Egypt. She was referred to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program because of her status as a refugee and because she has family already living in New Jersey. She and her children went through the lengthy vetting and screening process and finally had their travel booked to the U.S. – but her flight was among those cancelled by Trump’s indefinite refugee admissions ban. The children are 19, 15, and 13. The case file shows the family as: “Survivors of Violence and Torture.” The Sung family are refugees from Myanmar who were split up as they fled for safe harbor. Part of the family has been resettled in Texas, and they have been waiting for years as the rest of the family goes through the resettlement process. The flight was scheduled for early February, and the family here bought a four-bedroom home just to accommodate them. Their flight was cancelled at the last minute. Find stories of impact here, and watch this space for new stories as they arise. Have a story to share? Send it to us via this form. |
