Refugee Status

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Recent Features

  • FOIA

Investigating USCIS’ Implementation of Humanitarian Parole and Refugee Processing for Afghan Nationals

Records to clarify why Afghans face such significant delays in humanitarian parole and refugee processing are necessary.

All Refugee Status Content

  • Blog

Court Blocks One of Trump’s Final Efforts to Keep Out Refugees

January 12, 2021

The Trump administration’s latest effort to prevent refugee resettlement in the United States was halted after a federal court ruled that the president’s order allowing state and localities to...

  • Blog

US Refugee Program Faces Grim Milestone: Historically Low Admissions

June 16, 2020

Each year on June 20, World Refugee Day celebrates the resiliency of refugees who have fled persecution in their home countries. It also honors the process that allows countries to take in...

  • Blog

Republican and Democratic Officials Continue to Accept Refugees, Rejecting Trump’s Executive Order

January 7, 2020

Update: On January 15, federal Judge Peter Messitte issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the Trump administration from enforcing its executive order giving state and local...

  • Blog

American Communities Benefit From Welcoming Refugees – The White House Wants to Stop That

October 3, 2019

For many small towns and rural communities, opening their doors to refugees is part of a local strategy to reverse population decline, stimulate their workforce, and build diverse communities....

  • Blog

Trump Administration Considers Lowering the Refugee Cap to Zero

September 13, 2019

The Trump administration is considering decreasing the maximum number of refugees accepted into the United States to 10,000 and as possibly low as zero, administration officials confirmed last...

  • Blog

Iraqi Interpreters Who Risked Their Lives Working With US Military Shut Out by Trump Administration

September 3, 2019

Iraqi interpreters who risked their lives to work with the American military have been effectively shut out from obtaining the special U.S. visa they were promised. The Trump administration issued...

  • Blog

USCIS Announces 7 International Offices Will Remain Open Despite Overall Shutdown

August 15, 2019

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released more details about its plan to close its international offices. In an August 9 memorandum, USCIS clarified that all but seven of...

  • Blog

World Refugee Day Reminders Us That We Must Do Better

June 18, 2019

World Refugee Day serves as a reminder that as a nation we must do better to protect those who are fleeing harm.

The post...

  • Blog

Worsening Detention Conditions in Border Patrol Custody Highlighted in New Complaint

May 23, 2019

The post Worsening Detention Conditions in Border...

  • Blog

Closing USCIS International Offices Will Leave US Citizens, Military Members, and Refugees Abroad Without Help

April 18, 2019

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ international field offices provide critical services to Americans living abroad, as well as refugees and other immigrants. But in a supposed effort to...

  • Press Release

Five Incarcerated Refugee Families Finally Released After Being Held for Months on End

September 10, 2015

Washington, DC – Today, Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), the American Immigration Council, Refugee and Immigrant Center for E

  • Press Release

Judge Stands Up for Refugee Families, Castigates Government for Policies That Traumatize Children

July 25, 2015

Washington, DC – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council (Council) welcomed a ruling by U.S.

  • Press Release

Immigrants’ Rights Groups to Provide Pro Bono Legal Services to Detained Families in Texas

March 31, 2015

Washington D.C.

  • Press Release

The U.S. Must Not Lower the Bar on Protecting Children Fleeing Violence

July 30, 2014

Washington D.C. - The humanitarian challenge posed by the arrival of thousands of unaccompanied children and young families at our southern border has once again ignited passions over

  • Press Release

America Must Uphold Its Obligations to Protect Children and Families Fleeing Persecution

June 30, 2014

Washington D.C. - As the numbers of unaccompanied minors and mothers with children crossing our southern border grows, the U.S.

  • Blog

The Condition of the Refugee Resettlement Program in 2023

October 13, 2022

The Biden administration announced on September 27 that the cap on refugee admissions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 would be 125,000—the same as the cap for FY 2022. However, given the current state...

  • Blog

The US Response to Ukraine Shows We Have the Capacity for Humanitarian Relief

April 6, 2022

At the beginning of March 2022, as millions of Ukrainians were being displaced by Russian invasion, the U.S. government announced a series of policy changes to assist some of the people impacted...

  • Blog

Why Are Afghans Facing Significant Delays in Humanitarian Parole and Refugee Processing?

March 17, 2022

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021—as the country’s government was overtaken by the Taliban—led to the chaotic evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals. The tragic...

  • FOIA

Investigating USCIS’ Implementation of Humanitarian Parole and Refugee Processing for Afghan Nationals

This Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeks to uncover information about how the humanitarian parole process and refugee program is working with respect to Afghan nationals.
  • Blog

This USCIS Policy Change Will Reunite Vulnerable LGBTQ Refugee and Asylum Couples

March 2, 2022

In February, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reversed Trump administration guidance that limited recognition of marriages performed abroad only to those considered “valid” in the...

  • Letters

Coalition Calls on Biden Administration to Create Afghan Parole Program

Publication Date: 
February 15, 2022
The American Immigration Council joined over 200 organizations in calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to create a designated parole...
  • Blog

This Special Program Gives Refugee Athletes a Chance to Compete in the Olympics  

July 14, 2021

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to expand a unique venture for the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo: The Refugee Olympic Team. The expansion is part of the IOC’s long-...

  • Blog

On World Refugee Day, A Call to Rebuild U.S. Refugee Resettlement

June 18, 2021

World Refugee Day is celebrated internationally on June 20 every year. It honors the struggle of refugees around the world who are fleeing violence and persecution and are unable to safely return...

  • Blog

Biden’s Commitment to Refugees in Question After Flip-Flopping on Admissions Cap

April 16, 2021

Throughout his presidential campaign and after the election, Joe Biden repeatedly condemned President Trump’s decision to slash the U.S. refugee admissions level to its lowest in history. He ...

  • Blog

Court Blocks One of Trump’s Final Efforts to Keep Out Refugees

January 12, 2021

The Trump administration’s latest effort to prevent refugee resettlement in the United States was halted after a federal court ruled that the president’s order allowing state and localities to...

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