Church World Service echoes the urgent need for guardrails and reform before increasing immigration enforcement spending Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today called on Congress to oppose the latest budget reconciliation bill that provides Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with 70 billion dollars. The bill includes zero common sense guardrails to rein in the agencies’ reckless behavior that has resulted in prolonged detention of children and families; warrantless arrests; enforcement actions at schools, …
Congress Reviews Possible Changes to 2026 Refugee Admissions as Program Reaches Ceiling
May 19, 2026
Church World Service Urges Administration to Uphold Program’s Humanitarian Commitment as More Than 120,000 Approved Refugees Remain Stranded WASHINGTON, May 19, 2026—Ahead of Congressional consultations scheduled this week to adjust the 2026 refugee admissions ceiling, media reports suggest the Trump administration will propose increasing the current ceiling by 10,000 and reserve the additional slots exclusively for white Afrikaners from South Africa. Today, the faith-based international humanitarian and social justice organization Church World Service (CWS) condemned the proposal …
Refugees Challenge Discriminatory Use of Admissions Program
April 8, 2026
CWS, IRAP, HIAS, and LCSNW Amend Class Action Lawsuit Challenging Dismantling of USRAP (Seattle, WA)—Last night, refugees, their family members, and resettlement organizations moved to file an amended complaint in the Western District of Washington in the class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s dismantling of the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). The updated complaint adds five new plaintiffs and challenges the …
Veterans, Faith, Refugee, and Afghan American Community Groups Call on Cabinet Officials to Address Policy Changes Harming Afghan Allies
April 1, 2026
Washington, D.C.—On March 31, Church World Service, alongside 24 other members of the Evacuate Our Allies coalition, delivered a letter to senior cabinet officials expressing grave concern over recent policy changes targeting Afghan nationals. The letter calls out the ongoing blanket halt in immigration benefits processing; the indiscriminate re-review and targeting of resettled Afghans; and the shuttering of humanitarian pathways …
CWS Virginia Applauds Passage of Key Legislation Ensuring Safeguards for All Virginians, Including Refugees and Immigrants
March 23, 2026
Harrisonburg, VA—Church World Service Virginia applauds the passage of key legislation in the Virginia General Assembly that will safeguard the well-being and future of all who call the Commonwealth home, including resettled refugees, asylees, and other immigrant populations. The Virginia House and Senate recently passed a number of bills that will end unlawful federal operations by ICE in the Commonwealth, …
Church World Service Strongly Condemns Plan to Arrest and Detain Resettled Refugees
February 19, 2026
Washington, D.C. – Church World Service unequivocally condemns the Trump administration’s most recent memo that could subject up to 100,000 resettled refugees to arrests and detention. Coming on the heels of the horrific and unlawful arrests of refugees under Operation PARRIS in Minnesota, this new guidance outlines plans for the arrest and custodial “inspection” of refugees who have lived in the U.S. …
This Ash Wednesday, CWS and Covenant Partners Rise Up for Refuge
February 18, 2026
In early 2025, as the new U.S. administration moved to close off legal immigration pathways and prepare for mass detention and deportation of refugees and immigrants, CWS and our Covenant Partners watched with growing alarm. In response, we united under the Ash Wednesday Ecumenical Declaration: Defending Refuge—a bold, public commitment by faith communities nationwide to stand against policies that endanger refugees and immigrants. In the months that …
CWS Mourns a Life Lived for the Betterment of Others with the Passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson
February 17, 2026
Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today joins with the nation in mourning at the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson. A man of faith, civil rights icon, and advocate for the underserved, Reverend Jackson leaves behind a world better than he found it. In response to Reverend Jackson’s passing, Rick Santos, president and CEO of Church World Service, issued the following statement: …
Court Order Blocks Operation PARRIS in Minnesota
January 30, 2026
Ruling Prevents Unlawful Targeting, Arrest and Detention of Legally Admitted Refugees in the State Washington, D.C.—On Wednesday, in Minnesota, a federal judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) blocking the Trump administration from carrying out arrests and detentions of legally admitted refugees in Minnesota under Operation PARRIS. The order will remain in place while litigation on the issue proceeds. The judge further ordered the rapid release of all refugees detained under Operation PARRIS in Minnesota as well as those transferred to Texas. More than 100 legally present refugees in Minnesota have been arrested and detained without being charged …
Following Tragic Killing of Alex Pretti at the Hands of Federal Officers, CWS mourns with Minneapolis, Demands Change and Accountability
January 25, 2026
Washington, D.C.—Church World Service expresses its horror and grief in response to the shooting and killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal immigration enforcement officers on Saturday morning in Minneapolis. Pretti was an American citizen and Minnesotan who worked as a registered nurse in the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Pretti was shot and killed just 17 days after the killing of fellow …