Daily State of Play: Trump’s Indefinite Refugee Ban and Funding Halt


October 5, 2026

The Trump administration’s indefinite refugee ban, stop work orders and prolonged delays in reimbursement for resettlement agencies have had a devastating impact on tens of thousands of refugee families and communities across the country and around the world. Welcome to the latest edition of State of Play from Church World Service. This resource will provide regular updates from the CWS Policy Team on the current state of play; updated asks for national, state and local leaders; and the latest headlines and community resources.

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The latest: Afghans remain at CAS amid ongoing travel and refugee bans; Circuit court upholds protections for Follow-to-Join Asylees; September sets new deportations peak amid highest ever arrests of individuals without criminal records.  

Afghan allies stuck in Qatar no longer facing imminent removal as refugee and travel bans remain in place. Approximately 1,100 Afghans remain stranded in limbo at Camp As Sayliyah (CAS), a former military base in Qatar. Many of them are in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) pipeline, some with cases already conditionally approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The camp was set to close last Wednesday, with uncertainty about whether the 1,100 would be returned to potentially life-threatening conditions in Afghanistan or sent to an unsafe third country.  

But, in a last minute agreement, the Trump administration has committed to keep the camp open for at least another nine months.  

Reports suggest the administration is continuing to consider possible third countries to send the Afghan refugees. On Friday, the administration published a Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions (PD) for Fiscal Year 2027 that sets the admissions cap at 17,500, but keeps the ongoing refugee ban in place and continues to prioritize white South Africans for almost all available exceptions.  

Circuit court upholds exemption from travel ban for family members of asylee. On October 2, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied an administration request to stay a decision in A.A. v. State that declared immediate family members of individuals granted asylum in the U.S. should be exempted from the ongoing travel ban.  

Per an IRAP press release, five of the plaintiff asylees have been able to bring their families to safety in the United States under the lower court’s initial July 29 ruling. The Circuit Court has now affirmed that decision, allowing thousands of asylee reunification cases to proceed.  

The plaintiffs in the case are all Afghan nationals who were granted asylum in the U.S. and have submitted I-730 follow-to-join asylee (FTJ-A) applications on behalf of their spouses and children who remain at significant risk in Afghanistan.  

Border Czar says September will set deportations mark as ICE arrests more individuals without criminal records. In a speech in Florida on October 1, White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan said, “September is going to be the highest deportations of any month in the history of ICE.” The statement comes as, per the American Immigration Council, a majority of all of those arrested by ICE in recent months have had no criminal record whatsoever.  

Meanwhile, ICE may be again attempting to quietly change its traffic stop policies after repeated incidents of poorly trained officers – who for some reason have turned off their required body cameras – shooting at residents during attempted vehicle stops and pursuits. 

ProPublica continues to update its tracker of Habeas cases in which immigrants are challenging their unlawful detentions. Over 83,000 cases have been filed since January 2025.  

Latest Headlines

Opportunities to Take Action:

Community Resources:

Stories of Impact

Fran: “The wait has become endless. A year of processes, of dreams of a better life, of yearning for security and stability for my family. Venezuela, a country that once was home, became a place where workplace persecution forced me to seek refuge elsewhere. One of my sons was also enrolled in the program and he went ahead, and we had hope of reuniting, and when they had already requested our travel documents and we were in the process of buying plane tickets the USRAP prohibition came into effect, freezing our plans. Months of anxiety, of uncertainty, of unanswered questions: When will we be able to be together again? The distance is a weight we carry, a constant reminder of what we have yet to achieve. Uncertainty is a lonely path, but the hope of reuniting with my son is what drives me to move forward, not to lose faith in a future where we can be together and safe.”

Samuel: “My name is Samuel. I was approved by USCIS as a refugee in March 2024, and since September of that year I had a U.S. resettlement agency assigned to my case. I currently live in a third country with my partner, with whom I have shared a stable relationship for more than eleven years. In January 2025, I was called to repeat my medical exams, but only a few days later everything was suspended after the change of government in the United States. Since then, our process has been frozen, and we remain stranded without clear answers — with our suitcases full of hope, waiting for the moment to finally travel. These months have been emotionally very hard. Living for so long in uncertainty, unable to move forward or plan for the future, has deeply affected our mental and emotional well-being. As an LGBT refugee couple — and in my case, living with HIV — every day here brings constant challenges to our health, safety, and hope. Despite the pain and frustration, we continue to believe in the possibility of a better life. We share our story because we know we are not alone, and because behind every paused case there are human beings simply seeking safety, acceptance, and the chance to rebuild their lives with dignity.”

Find more stories of impact here, and watch this space for new stories as they arise. Have a story to share? You can share it with us via this form for refugees overseas or this form for refugees, immigrants and service providers in the U.S.

 

The Trump administration’s indefinite refugee ban, stop work orders and prolonged delays in reimbursement for resettlement agencies have had a devastating impact on tens of thousands of refugee families and communities across the country and around the world. Welcome to the latest edition of State of Play from Church World Service. This resource will provide regular updates from the CWS Policy Team on the current state of play; updated asks for national, state and local leaders; and the latest headlines and community resources.

Subscribe
Donate

 

The latest: Afghans remain at CAS amid ongoing travel and refugee bans; Circuit court upholds protections for Follow-to-Join Asylees; September sets new deportations peak amid highest ever arrests of individuals without criminal records.  

Afghan allies stuck in Qatar no longer facing imminent removal as refugee and travel bans remain in place. Approximately 1,100 Afghans remain stranded in limbo at Camp As Sayliyah (CAS), a former military base in Qatar. Many of them are in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) pipeline, some with cases already conditionally approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The camp was set to close last Wednesday, with uncertainty about whether the 1,100 would be returned to potentially life-threatening conditions in Afghanistan or sent to an unsafe third country.  

But, in a last minute agreement, the Trump administration has committed to keep the camp open for at least another nine months.  

Reports suggest the administration is continuing to consider possible third countries to send the Afghan refugees. On Friday, the administration published a Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions (PD) for Fiscal Year 2027 that sets the admissions cap at 17,500, but keeps the ongoing refugee ban in place and continues to prioritize white South Africans for almost all available exceptions.  

Circuit court upholds exemption from travel ban for family members of asylee. On October 2, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied an administration request to stay a decision in A.A. v. State that declared immediate family members of individuals granted asylum in the U.S. should be exempted from the ongoing travel ban.  

Per an IRAP press release, five of the plaintiff asylees have been able to bring their families to safety in the United States under the lower court’s initial July 29 ruling. The Circuit Court has now affirmed that decision, allowing thousands of asylee reunification cases to proceed.  

The plaintiffs in the case are all Afghan nationals who were granted asylum in the U.S. and have submitted I-730 follow-to-join asylee (FTJ-A) applications on behalf of their spouses and children who remain at significant risk in Afghanistan.  

Border Czar says September will set deportations mark as ICE arrests more individuals without criminal records. In a speech in Florida on October 1, White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan said, “September is going to be the highest deportations of any month in the history of ICE.” The statement comes as, per the American Immigration Council, a majority of all of those arrested by ICE in recent months have had no criminal record whatsoever.  

Meanwhile, ICE may be again attempting to quietly change its traffic stop policies after repeated incidents of poorly trained officers – who for some reason have turned off their required body cameras – shooting at residents during attempted vehicle stops and pursuits. 

ProPublica continues to update its tracker of Habeas cases in which immigrants are challenging their unlawful detentions. Over 83,000 cases have been filed since January 2025.  

Latest Headlines

Opportunities to Take Action:

Community Resources:

Stories of Impact

Fran: “The wait has become endless. A year of processes, of dreams of a better life, of yearning for security and stability for my family. Venezuela, a country that once was home, became a place where workplace persecution forced me to seek refuge elsewhere. One of my sons was also enrolled in the program and he went ahead, and we had hope of reuniting, and when they had already requested our travel documents and we were in the process of buying plane tickets the USRAP prohibition came into effect, freezing our plans. Months of anxiety, of uncertainty, of unanswered questions: When will we be able to be together again? The distance is a weight we carry, a constant reminder of what we have yet to achieve. Uncertainty is a lonely path, but the hope of reuniting with my son is what drives me to move forward, not to lose faith in a future where we can be together and safe.”

Samuel: “My name is Samuel. I was approved by USCIS as a refugee in March 2024, and since September of that year I had a U.S. resettlement agency assigned to my case. I currently live in a third country with my partner, with whom I have shared a stable relationship for more than eleven years. In January 2025, I was called to repeat my medical exams, but only a few days later everything was suspended after the change of government in the United States. Since then, our process has been frozen, and we remain stranded without clear answers — with our suitcases full of hope, waiting for the moment to finally travel. These months have been emotionally very hard. Living for so long in uncertainty, unable to move forward or plan for the future, has deeply affected our mental and emotional well-being. As an LGBT refugee couple — and in my case, living with HIV — every day here brings constant challenges to our health, safety, and hope. Despite the pain and frustration, we continue to believe in the possibility of a better life. We share our story because we know we are not alone, and because behind every paused case there are human beings simply seeking safety, acceptance, and the chance to rebuild their lives with dignity.”

Find more stories of impact here, and watch this space for new stories as they arise. Have a story to share? You can share it with us via this form for refugees overseas or this form for refugees, immigrants and service providers in the U.S.