Daily State of Play: Trump’s Indefinite Refugee

The Trump administration’s indefinite refugee ban, stop work orders, and failure to reimburse resettlement agencies have had a devastating impact on tens of thousands of refugee families and communities across the country. This resource will provide regular updates each weekday on the current state of play; updated asks for national, state and local leaders; and messaging and social media guidance.

The latest: More action over the weekend in the Pacito v. Trump case, in which CWS and others have challenged the Trump administration’s indefinite refugee ban and suspension of contracts with resettlement agencies.

Plaintiffs, administration submit joint status report on compliance. As required by an April 11 order, on Friday evening plaintiffs and the administration jointly submitted a framework for the government to come into compliance with previous orders to resume refugee resettlement for over 100,000 conditionally approved refugees who remain stranded overseas (and to restore funding to key refugee support contracts).

Plaintiffs and the administration were perhaps unsurprisingly unable to agree to a framework, with plaintiffs outlining a specific and detailed schedule for resuming resettlement and the administration claiming they are “justified in continuing their indefinite suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and related funding, other than to process and admit a group of 65 ‘high value’ Afghan refugees in the following six weeks.”

The next step is for the judge to schedule a hearing “as soon as practicable” to adjudicate disputes raised by the two parties and order a final compliance framework.

Plaintiff’s proposed compliance measures. Plaintiffs (IRAP litigators representing CWS, HIAS, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and several individuals impacted by the refugee ban) proposed the following steps (among others):

Within one day: Instruct agency offices, staff, and U.S. embassies to resume processing of conditionally approved refugee cases. Issue notices lifting the suspension of USRAP-related cooperative agreements for the operation of overseas Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs), and reinstate access to key databases necessary to facilitate refugee processing like START, FileCloud, and RPC Help Desk.
Within 7 days: Lift suspension and restore funding via cooperative agreements to domestic resettlement partners. Provide guidance to RSCs on resumption of processing conditionally approved cases. Restart production of travel documents to allow for follow-to-join refugees to self-travel. Facilitate extensions of medical and security screenings for USCIS-approved refugees that have expired while the ban has been in place.
Within 14 days. Resume refugee travel to the U.S. and medical exams facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Resume and fund provision of Reception and Placement (R&P) services for refugees after they arrive. Coordinate with RSCs to permit the option of independent travel for refugees.
Within 21 days. Resume any other necessary processing steps, including resettlement assurances and cultural orientation. Ensure resumption of resettlement is not region-specific.

The administration’s proposed compliance measures. The administration proposes to admit a small cohort of Afghan refugees who are “of high value to the U.S. government” by May 30, 2025. The proposal includes a note that the program would otherwise remain paused, and contracts would remain suspended for RSCs and resettlement agencies, except for one agency that would be tapped to provide virtual R&P for the small cohort of approximately 65 Afghans.

On the 90-day report. Under the terms of the initial refugee ban executive order, a required report was due yesterday, April 20, on the possible resumption of the refugee program. The report was due from the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State to the Homeland Security Council. It remains unclear whether the report will be made public and what the report contains.

Latest on Alien Enemies Act invocation. Over the weekend, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked planned deportation of Venezuelan migrants in northern Texas under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime authority last used during World War II. The 7-2 ruling came amid reports that a group of migrants being held at the Bluebonnet ICE detention facility in Texas had been notified they are at imminent risk of expulsion under the Act.

According to an April 18 report, the U.S. is planning to designate certain Haiti gangs as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” opening the door for the administration to allege certain Haitians in the U.S. are affiliated with the organizations and attempt to remove them to CECOT.

How community members and supporters of refugee resettlement can take action?

Reach out to your elected leaders: Email and call your elected leaders and speak out in support of refugees and newcomers under threat.
- Use and share our just-updated action alert to call on your elected leaders to defend refugee resettlement and join a congressional letter speaking out in support of the refugee program.
- Use and share this recently-updated action alert to oppose executive actions targeting unaccompanied immigrant children (UCs), such as the recent, near-total termination of legal services for UCs (including toddlers and infants).
- Take action during the upcoming Easter congressional recess. Find a toolkit here with information on how to contact your member of congress, template emails and town hall questions, and the most recent policy asks: bit.ly/AprilRecessAdvocacyGuide
To people of faith: Sign and urge your congregation to sign the Ash Wednesday Ecumenical Declaration on Defending Refuge. The declaration is open for signatures through Lent.
Donate to support impacted refugees and staff: Resettlement agencies are continuing to work to find ways to serve the most vulnerable refugees in their care using all of the resources at their disposal. Donate to your local resettlement agency or join in mutual aid efforts to support those in jeopardy due to the administration’s recent actions.

Key policy asks for national, state, and local elected leaders:

Urge the Trump administration to abide by recent court orders and fully restore the refugee resettlement program – including rebooking travel for the thousands of refugees who have had their flights cancelled. To do so, reimplement cooperative agreements with agencies to provide critical life-saving reception services and reimburse resettlement agencies for millions in frozen funds for refugees. Refugee resettlement brings huge social and economic benefits to our communities and makes our country stronger, safer, and more prosperous.
Publicly express your support for refugees and the bipartisan U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE). Recognize and speak to the impact of the stop work orders and reimbursement freeze on refugee resettlement services and programs in your community. Listen to and collect stories of your constituents who have been impacted.
Stand up for refugees and newcomers in upcoming congressional funding and legislative deliberations. Call for the renewal of contracts for unaccompanied children programs and legal support. Support funding for key spending accounts (such as the Migration and Refugee Assistance account and Refugee and Entrant Assistance accounts) and include clear authorization and appropriations language dictating how that funding should be used to best serve refugees, newcomers, and the communities that welcome them. Reject harmful legislation that seeks to divert massive funds to border militarization and mass deportation efforts.

Upcoming National and Local Actions

National – Easter recess advocacy actions: April 11-27. Find tools here to take action while members of Congress are back in their home states and districts.
National – Refugee Council USA National Advocacy Days: June 2-4. Register here to attend RCUSA’s annual advocacy days in Washington, D.C. Read more about the advocacy days here. The deadline to register has been extended to May 2.

Updated Messaging on Termination Notices

This is an unprecedented assault on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). These actions seek to end resettlement agencies’ ability to welcome refugees and to meet the moral and contractual obligations we have to support new arrivals on a path towards self-sufficiency.
President Trump and the State Department have attempted to end the U.S. resettlement program as we know it. No refugees are arriving, and the State Department terminated its agreements with the resettlement agencies and nonprofits, including faith groups, that welcome and serve refugees in the U.S. and abroad, while the State Dep’t funding freeze remains in place for core resettlement services.
With the refugee ban executive order on January 20, 2025 banning refugee admissions, followed by the swift stop work orders abruptly ending critical reception & placement (R&P) services for refugees already in the United States, there had already been a significant impact on refugee stranded overseas and the domestic services for refugees in the U.S. Amid the chaos and uncertainty of the stop work orders and funding halts, resettlement offices all across the country furloughed or laid off staff. With the terminations of agreements with resettlement agencies, the local resettlement offices may soon be forced to close programming – unless the administration reverses course.

Topline Talking Points

There has already been a significant impact on services for refugees in the U.S. Amid the chaos and uncertainty of the stop work orders and funding halts, resettlement offices all across the country are preparing to lay off staff and – unless the administration reverses course – may soon be forced to close programming.
There has already been a significant impact on services for refugees in the U.S. Amid the chaos and uncertainty of the stop work orders and funding halts, resettlement offices all across the country have furloughed or laid off staff and – unless the administration reverses course – may soon be forced to close programming.
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is a strong public-private partnership that drives U.S. economic growth, advances global stability and peace, and supports our national security and diplomatic priorities.
From 2005 to 2019, refugees contributed a staggering $123.8 billion more than they cost in government expenditures.
A growing majority of Americans support the resettlement program as more refugee offices open around the country – in addition to the support from former generals and admirals, faith leaders, businesses, and state and local elected leaders from all fifty states.
The refugee admissions program (USRAP) has enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support throughout its history. USRAP has had bipartisan support since its inception in 1980, and the U.S. regularly resettled over 100,000 refugees a year under Republican presidents in the 1980s and early 1990s. In response to a proposed refugee admissions ban by the Trump administration, the vast majority of both Democratic and Republican governors proactively affirmed they wanted to continue to welcome refugees and be a part of the resettlement program.
The Trump administration’s actions jeopardize the quality of, duration of, and access to key integration services. They place recently resettled refugees across the country – those who after years of waiting amid lengthy screening and vetting processes have finally found a safe place to call home – at risk of extreme economic insecurity and homelessness.