WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT 13, 2026—Church World Service (CWS) today condemned a new Trump administration policy making it easier to terminate the legal status of resettled refugees.
Under the new regulation—set to go into effect tomorrow, October 14—the response time during which refugees can appeal efforts to terminate their status will be reduced from thirty to ten days. The rule strips refugees of vital due process protections and will leave them with little to no meaningful opportunity to retain legal assistance, acquire needed documents, marshal evidence to dispute the administration’s claims, or prepare loved ones for worst-case scenarios.
In response to the new rule, Danilo Zak, Director of Policy at CWS, issued the following statement:
The administration’s efforts to target resettled refugees – already among the most vetted individuals to arrive in the United States – are morally indefensible and a waste of limited resources. Today’s rule is the latest in a string of attempts to terrorize refugee communities, and it flies in the face of the very purpose of our refugee program: To provide durable resettlement and a permanent path to safety.
Under this rule, refugees will have no meaningful opportunity to respond or appeal before their status is terminated.
This is a policy designed to facilitate the uprooting and expulsion of members of our communities who fled persecution and were promised safety. There is no advantage to this change. It will only compound refugees’ fears of impermanence they have carried since they were forcibly displaced from their homes around the world.
As the administration targets refugees who were already vetted and welcomed, often years ago, it is shutting the door on almost everyone else. Families remain separated, wartime allies remain in danger, and days turn into months or years for refugees stranded in camps overseas. Our new neighbors and fellow Americans deserve better, and the world deserves true moral leadership from the United States.
The administration remains blocked by multiple courts from arresting and interrogating refugees under recent policies like Operation PARRIS. However, re-vetting and re-interviews of refugees who have not yet adjusted to a green card are still moving forward across the country.
According to the new rule, the Department of Homeland Security is targeting a “maximum population” of 186,000 cases of resettled refugees who arrived from Fiscal Year 2015 to Fiscal Year 2025 that have not yet adjusted to a green card. It notes that USCIS and ICE are “working to identify particular subsets” of this population for re-vetting.
Recent polling shows a strong majority of Americans support refugees and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Refugee resettlement strengthens national security, and data shows refugees enrich our communities at every level.
For more information on the rights of refugees, eligibility for necessary medical care, or to speak with one of our experts, contact media@cwsglobal.org. Visit CWSglobal.org to learn more about the current State of Play.