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.
Note: Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a document describing its intention to award a small, Houston-based law firm a contract to provide legal services to unaccompanied children. The move comes days after the administration ended a longstanding agreement with the Acacia Center for Justice. This is a developing story. CWS will release a statement soon.
The latest: States sue to stop administration from sharing anti-poverty program data with DHS; record deportations last month.
States sue to stop the Trump administration from sharing anti-poverty program data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). On Monday, 24 states and the District of Columbia sued the administration to block DHS from viewing sensitive data from families who participate in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program.
HHS issued a rule on June 23 that authorizes the Administration for Children and Families to disclose records containing TANF recipients’ sensitive data. The plaintiff states allege that the administration is illegally sharing enrollees’ immigration status, social security numbers, incomes, marital status, parentage, and other personal details. They argue that the data sharing violates multiple federal statutes, including the Privacy Act and the Social Security Act.
“The Trump Administration is exploiting a program designed to ensure children do not go hungry and to help needy families get back on their feet in order to fuel its mass surveillance effort,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible to enroll in TANF, but eligible individuals who live in mixed-status households may participate in the program. Data sharing practices between DHS and federal entities like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Internal Revenue Service create chilling effects that can prevent eligible newcomers from accessing crucial support.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a record number of people in July. Last month, ICE reportedly took over 46,000 individuals into custody, according to preliminary figures from DHS. The number, which the federal government has not yet publicly shared, is the highest since President Trump took office in January 2025.
DHS told CBS News that it has deported over 985,000 people during the second Trump administration. Approximately 68,000 people are currently detained in ICE custody. In recent weeks, ICE has worked with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to arrest domestic travelers whose visas have expired. Many people with valid work authorization or humanitarian claims for protection have been detained during the airport surge. For example, Fatima Ameaka, a Fulbright Scholar and public health researcher from Cameroon, was arrested at an airport on July 28 and detained for several days, though her lawyer says she has a valid visa and a pending asylum claim.
Today’s Headlines
- The Associated Press: Trump’s immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents
- The New York Times: Family demands answers about death of immigrant held at detention center
- Forbes: Trump Immigration Plan Would Charge Foreign Students $100,000 To Work In U.S.
- The Guardian: ‘What they’re doing qualifies as torture’: new details of ICE force-feeding revealed
- CBS News: ICE detains University of Maryland “teacher of the year” at Dallas airport
Opportunities to Take Action:
- CWS Action Alert: Take Action for Immigrants and Refugees During the 2026 August Recess
- CWS Action Alert: Demand Justice and Accountability After ICE Shootings
- CWS Action Alert: Urge Your Senators to Pass Legislation to Protect Haitian TPS Holders
- Tell Your State and Local Officials: Protect Our Freedom to Welcome
- CWS Action Alert: With All Eyes on Iran, Palestinians Continue to Suffer Daily Attacks and Constant Hunger
- Sign Petition to the White House: Keep Our Promise to Refugees
- CWS Action Alert: Tell Your State Lawmakers – Do Not Let Refugees & Other Newcomers Go Hungry as Federal SNAP Cuts Take Effect
- CWS Action Alert: Immigrant Children Are Under Attack: Urge Congress to Demand Safety and Due Process
Community Resources:
- CWS and Rise Up for Refuge: August Recess 2026 Advocacy Guide
- CWS: Lakou Tanama Virtual Haitian Healing Spaces
- Georgetown Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues: Explainer for Parents and Their Helpers Seeking Family Reunification
- NILC and PIF: Public Charge: What Advocates Need to Know
- CLINIC: Parish Toolkit: Supporting Immigrants in a Time of Need
- CWS: Ten Major Immigration and Refugee Policy Changes Since January 2025
- CWS: Bill Summary of the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act
- Refugee Storytellers Collective: Making Informed Decisions: A Risk Assessment Worksheet for Public Engagement
- ACLU: Enforcement at the Airport
- United Church of Christ: Love Knows No Borders Resources
- IRAP: Refugee Re-vetting and Detention
- USAHello: Multilingual Immigration Guide with clear, direct-to-community information
- IRAP: What do the recent U.S. immigration changes mean for Afghans?
- NILC: How to Find a Loved One After a U.S. Immigration Arrest and What to Do if Arrested or Detained by Immigration
- CWS: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Will Impact You
- Just Security: Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
- CWS: Story Submission Form for Refugees Overseas
Stories of Impact
Miriam and her family fled the Democratic Republic of Congo after facing persecution by paramilitary groups. They lived in a refugee camp in Burundi for fifteen years as they proceeded through the lengthy U.S. refugee resettlement vetting and screening process. She gave birth while going through this years-long process, and was erroneously advised by UN staff at the camp that adding her new son to the case would delay resettlement – and she understood she would be able to immediately apply for him once the rest of the family arrived in the U.S. Upon resettlement, Miriam immediately filed a Follow-to-Join application for her son, an application that has now been blocked by the refugee ban. Her lawyer asked the government about requesting an exception to the ban for Miriam’s now-nine-year-old son, and was told the exception process “was not for” him. Exceptions have been granted to over 4,000 white Afrikaners. Miriam believes the government is purposefully neglecting her and preventing reunification with her son because her family is Black. She calls her son every day.
Babak resettled in the U.S. as a refugee from Iran, and is now a citizen. He has submitted an application for his wife and her parents through the Lautenberg program for those facing religious persecution in Iran and former Soviet Union countries. The family is Zoroastrian, a religious group that faces discrimination across all facets of society in Iran. While his wife was able to make it to the U.S. via another pathway, the family has been separated for years. They had been scheduled for an appointment to move their case forward and were preparing to leave for processing in Austria when the refugee ban stalled their case once again.
Yodit and Senai are a mother and son who have been separated for 17 years. Yodit fled Eritrea in 2008 and was resettled in the U.S. in 2018. She is now a U.S. citizen. She has filed a Follow-to-Join application for her son, Senai, who remains in danger in Eritrea. They have completed all necessary steps and her son was waiting to receive a travel document to the U.S. when the refugee ban went into place. When Yodit learned the administration was admitting white Afrikaners as refugees, she felt the administration was discriminating against her because of her race.
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.
