Press Releases

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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. …