April marks two and a half years since the start of the current conflict in Palestine and Israel, a period marred by historic levels of violence, deprivation, and starvation for Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank.   In recent weeks, the world’s attention has shifted to the widening circle of violence in the region as US and Israeli attacks against Iran and Israeli …

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been shut down for more than a month. Congress and the White House continue to debate whether to provide additional funding for DHS. Lawmakers need to hear their communities demand that ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) abuses end and real guardrails are immediately put in place.  These guardrails must include:  Not …

Across the U.S., refugees and other newcomers seeking safety from violence and persecution are losing access to basic food assistance as Congress’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) takes effect. Nationwide, more than 22 million families are at risk of losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as states face requirements to implement various changes that undermine the …

Tens of thousands of refugees who had already been approved for resettlement in the U.S. are stranded overseas in dangerous conditions in the wake of President Trump’s indefinite refugee ban. At the same time, the Trump administration is subjecting refugees living in U.S. communities to an onslaught of attacks. With refugee admissions still indefinitely suspended, the administration says it plans …

In the days following the November 26 shooting of two members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. by an Afghan asylee, the Trump administration immediately pursued a campaign of collective punishment. The administration has started to implement a sweeping immigration crackdown with massive implications for Afghans, refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants both abroad and here in the U.S. CWS …

On November 24, Reuters reported on an internal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) memo that ordered a “review and re-interview” of all refugees who entered via the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program under the Biden administration. The review, which would impact over 200,000 refugees who resettled in the U.S. between January 20, 2021 and February 20, 2025 — would reportedly …

As we gather with our families and communities to celebrate Thanksgiving this November – we must remember that many around the country are struggling to put food on their tables.  Hunger is a policy choice. The budget reconciliation bill President Trump signed into law on July 4 includes the largest cut to food assistance in history. The Congressional Budget Office …

Since January 2025, the Trump administration has pursued new policies and funding reforms that put immigrant children and their families in harm’s way. Many immigrant children arrive in the United States alone, seeking protection from persecution and violence after facing abuse, abandonment, neglect, or human trafficking. For decades, bipartisan efforts like the Trafficking Victims Prevention Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) have prevented …

Right now, reports indicate that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials are beginning to implement an initiative to financially incentivize unaccompanied immigrant children to agree to abandon their legal rights to seek safety and leave the United States. Reports indicate that as of October 3, DHS has begun to offer a $2,500 stipend to children in Office of Refugee Resettlement …

The Neighbors Not Enemies Act (S. 193/H.R. 630) would repeal the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 (AEA), a wartime law that allows the president to deport noncitizens from an “enemy nation.” The law’s most infamous use was during World War II, when over 30,000 Japanese, Italian, and German immigrants were detained and interned. Decades later, Presidents Reagan and Clinton issued …