On May 22, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a multibillion dollar reconciliation package that dramatically expands funding for immigration detention and deportation and slashes funding for key benefits and services that strengthen families, communities, and local economies. If signed into law, the bill would restrict access to health care benefits and food assistance for many otherwise-eligible humanitarian arrivals. …

For decades, Palestinians have lived under occupation, facing violence, human rights abuses, systematic violations of international humanitarian law, and denial of their right to self-determination. After over a year of Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians in the aftermath of the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack against Israelis, Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip have been subjected to one of the …

Florida has a long tradition of welcoming refugees and others fleeing violence and persecution, and is home to a growing number of newcomers – including many fleeing Cuba and Haiti – who are eligible to receive certain federally-funded services for newcomers that promote economic self-sufficiency and community flourishing. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR): The Office of Refugee Resettlement directly …

Church World Service is a 78-year old humanitarian organization representing 37 Protestant, Anglican, and Orthodox communions, as well as refugee resettlement, home study and post release services, and asylum seeker case management offices and affiliates across the United States. As we prepare for a presidential administration that promises to deport immigrants en masse and restrict access to safety and legal …

Church World Service Comment on the Final Rule by Departments of Justice and Homeland Security on Securing the Border; USCIS Docket No: USCIS-2024-0006; A.G. Order No. 6053-2024 Church World Service (CWS) submits this comment in opposition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s final rule on Securing the Border (“STB Rule”), published on October …

Refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and other newcomers’ access to safe, stable, and affordable housing is essential to a foundation of healthy living.  But today’s housing market reveals tough-rooted inequities and a dearth of housing support, development and market availability, and affordability for renters and homeowners in communities all across the country. The United States faces a current shortage of 7.3 …

Church World Service urges Congress to affirm the dignity of refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and all who have been uprooted from their homes. The U.S.’s historic position as a leader providing humanitarian relief to displaced people overseas and welcoming those who arrive to our shores fleeing persecution strengthens our communities, advances U.S. diplomatic and national security interests, and promotes human …

Each August, members of Congress return to their home districts and states for a prolonged recess, often holding town halls and making themselves available to meet with constituents. With fewer than three months until the November 5th elections, Members of Congress are particularly keen on hearing from their constituents, as many will be appearing on the ballot.  This August also …

On September 30, 2023, Congress failed to update legislation (as it had done previously in 2022) to extend authorization for newly-arriving Afghan humanitarian parolees to access key refugee services and mainstream benefits. Even as benefits were retroactively restored to arriving Ukrainian parolees in an April 2024 supplemental funding package, Congress failed to include the same fix for Afghans. As thousands …

Refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and other newcomers deserve fair and just access to safe, stable, and affordable housing. But today’s housing market reveals deep-rooted inequities and a dearth of housing support, development and market availability, and affordability for renters and homeowners. Studies show that the United States has a shortage of 7.3 million affordable homes, a figure that has increased …