Refugee Status

The enforcement of immigration laws is a complex and hotly-debated topic. Learn more about the costs of immigration enforcement and the ways in which the U.S. can enforce our immigration laws humanely and in a manner that ensures due process.

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

As Global Refugee Crisis Grows, America Must Do Her Part

June 20, 2017

  Each year on June 20, people around the world recognize the plight, resilience, and courage of those who have been forced to flee their homes. This World Refugee Day comes at a time when record...

  • Blog

Travel Ban 2.0 Halted by Two District Judges

March 16, 2017

The Trump administration has failed in its attempt to rewrite the executive order banning individuals from targeted Muslim-majority nations in order to pass legal muster. On the eve of the new...

  • Blog

Second “Muslim Ban” Meets Renewed Litigation

March 13, 2017

In the week following President Trump’s issuance of a second travel ban targeting six Muslim-majority countries, several states and a number of immigrant rights groups immediately returned to...

  • Blog

President Trump to Replace Travel Ban Executive Order

March 6, 2017

President Trump re-issued his immigration executive order on Monday that halts all refugee admissions for at least 120 days and bans entry into the United States for nationals of six Muslim-...

  • Blog

El Salvador’s Gang Violence is Forcing Thousands to Flee

October 21, 2016

In the event that there was any doubt, women and children from Central America’s Northern Triangle—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—are fleeing the same horrific conditions that were driving...

  • Blog

Using Job and Educational Opportunities to Resettle Refugees

October 17, 2016

The UNHCR estimates that worldwide there were over 65 million refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced people who fled conflict, violence, and human rights violations in 2015. On average...

  • Blog

Conservative Governors Defy Tradition and Abdicate Responsibility for Resettling Refugees

October 12, 2016

The United States plays an important role in protecting thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people and is one of 33 countries that resettles refugees. Our long-held legal and moral...

  • Blog

Government Officials Explain Extensive Refugee Vetting Process in Hearing

September 15, 2016

Following the 15th anniversary of the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, Congress is renewing its efforts to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again on U.S. soil. This was the message...

  • Blog

Why 22 Mothers Are On a Hunger Strike at the Berks Family Detention Facility

August 15, 2016

In protest of their families’ ongoing and prolonged detention in the Berks County Residential Center, a group of mothers began a hunger strike on Monday, August 8. They penned a letter to...

  • Blog

Meet the First Ever Olympic Refugee Team

August 5, 2016

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are approximately 65 million refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide. Among them are world class athletes who...

  • 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...

  • Blog

Government Will Help 2,700 Central American Children Reunite With Their Families After Court Settlement

April 16, 2019

The Trump administration has agreed to reverse course and begin the process of reuniting 2,700 children living in Central America with their parents in the United States. The decision comes as...

  • Blog

Trump’s Travel Ban Leaves Thousands of US Citizens Separated from Their Families

January 29, 2019

It has been two years since the Trump administration’s travel ban went into effect. Aside from multiple court challenges, the ban has largely disappeared from American headlines. And yet the ban...

  • Blog

Massacre at Pittsburgh Synagogue Tied to Anti-Refugee Sentiment

October 29, 2018

In a world of instantaneous news, the nation learned of the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday in Pittsburgh almost in real time. As the details emerged, we discovered that 11 Jewish...

  • Blog

The Nobel Prize Winners Show the Power of Welcoming Newcomers

October 24, 2018

When people feel welcomed into a community, great things often happen that benefit the receiving community and even the nation. When newcomers feel accepted and included in a society, it provides...

  • Blog

Trump Administration Justifies Lowest Refugee Admission Target Ever, Arguing That America’s Generosity Remains Boundless

September 18, 2018

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday evening that the Trump administration intends to limit refugee admissions to no more than 30,000 people in Fiscal Year 2019. In an effort to soften...

  • Advocacy

Statement for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Hearing on "The Implications of Reinterpretation of the Flores Settlement for Border Security and Illegal Immigration Incentives"

September 18, 2018

The American Immigration Council and American Immigration Lawyers Association submitted a written statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and...

  • Blog

On World Refugee Day, a Look at the Trump Administration’s Ugly Track Record on Refugees

June 20, 2018

Across the globe, people gather together to celebrate World Refugee Day on June 20. Started in 2001, this day not only commends the courage and determination of the currently 25.4 million...

  • Blog

Trump’s Nominee for Refugee Bureau Has an Anti-Immigrant History

May 30, 2018

When it comes to U.S. refugee policy, the Trump administration is asking Congress to let the fox guard the hen house. The administration has nominated Ronald Mortensen to be assistant secretary of...

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