Refugee Status

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.

An Overview of U.S. Refugee Law and Policy

Before admission to the United States, each refugee must undergo an extensive interviewing, screening, and security clearance process. They go on to contribute to our communities and our economy.

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All Refugee Status Content

Cover of Refugee Report
  • Special Report

Starting Anew

Publication Date: 
June 20, 2023
A record 100 million people around the globe were forced to flee their homes in 2022, up from 65 million in 2015. Of those displaced last year, 32.5 million were refugees who had to leave their...
  • Special Report

Beyond A Border Solution

Publication Date: 
May 3, 2023
America needs durable solutions. These concrete measures can bring orderliness to our border and modernize our overwhelmed asylum system.
  • Fact Sheet

An Overview of U.S. Refugee Law and Policy

Publication Date: 
October 22, 2022
The United States has long been a global leader in the resettlement of refugees—and the need for such leadership remains enormous.
  • Special Report

Understanding the Central American Refugee Crisis

Publication Date: 
February 1, 2016
The unprecedented levels of crime and violence that have overwhelmed the Northern Triangle countries in recent years have produced a refugee situation for those directly in the line of fire, making...
  • Special Report

Giving the Facts a Fighting Chance: Addressing Common Questions on Immigration

Publication Date: 
December 14, 2015

Americans pride themselves on belonging to a nation of immigrants. In fact, many Americans celebrate not only the traditions of the United States, but the traditions of the countries from which...

  • Special Report

Learning from Our Past: The Refugee Experience in the United States

Publication Date: 
November 25, 2015
This report provides background on the refugee experience in the United States, including welcoming and exclusionary responses, the impacts of these disparate reactions, and lessons to consider in...
  • Special Report

A Guide to Children Arriving at the Border: Laws, Policies and Responses

Publication Date: 
June 26, 2015
This Guide provides information about the tens of thousands of children—some travelling with their parents and others alone—who have fled their homes in Central America and arrived at our southern...
  • Special Report

An Assessment of DNA Testing for African Refugees

Publication Date: 
October 21, 2010

In March 2008, the Bureau of Population, Migration and Refugees (PRM)—the Department of State agency that processes refugees abroad—halted its family...

  • Fact Sheet

From Refugees to Americans: Thirty Years of Vietnamese Immigration to the United States

Publication Date: 
June 1, 2005
Thirty years after the fall of the Saigon government, Vietnamese Americans celebrate the fact that they have moved far beyond their refugee origins and become successful economic and political...
  • FOIA Litigation

Council Litigation Seeks Refugee Processing Data

This Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeks to compel the U.S. Department of State to release data about the demographics, processing, and adjudication of refugees’ applications for...

  • FOIA

Council Lawsuit Challenges USCIS Policies for Withholding Information in Refugee Case Files

This FOIA lawsuit seeks to compel U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) to end policies of unlawfully withholding application assessments, interview notes, and other records from refugees’ case files.
  • FOIA

Council Litigation Seeks Refugee Processing Data

FOIA lawsuit seeks to compel the U.S. Department of State to release data about the demographics, processing, and adjudication of refugees’ applications for admission into the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
  • FOIA

Torrance County Detention Facility’s Troubling Role in Detaining Haitian Migrants During the 2021 Del Rio Incident

 

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  • FOIA

The Council Sues the Department of State for Data on Where the Agency Resettles Refugees

On April 25, the Council filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the Department of State to obtain locational and demographic data on refugees admitted to the United States.
  • FOIA

The Council Seeks Records on How the Government Interdicts Migrants at Sea

The American Immigration Council filed requests for records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to learn about the process migrants go through after they are interdicted by U.S. Coast Guard personnel.
  • FOIA

Seeking Data from the Department of State on the Cities Where Refugees Have Resettled

The Department of State used to provide data on refugee resettlement at a city level until 2018. Unfortunately, the absence of such data has caused difficulties for local communities who want to help and welcome refugees. To address this issue, the Council requested the Department of State to share this information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on April 25.
  • 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.
  • 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...

  • Legal Resources and Litigation

Statement for the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest on "Oversight of the Administration's FY 2017 Refugee Resettlement Program"

September 28, 2016
The statement emphasizes the important role that the United States has played in the past in protecting the world's most vulnerable people and why we need to continue to welcome those fleeing dire situations and not deny them entry.
  • Blog

Government’s Move to Terminate Flores Agreement Could Leave Immigrant Children Unprotected

May 22, 2024

The Department of Justice asked a court to partially terminate the decades-old agreement that protects the rights of immigrant children earlier this month. The government argues that the Flores...

  • Blog

The Federal Government Is Cutting Aid for Migrant Shelters and Services. What Will States Do Now?

April 9, 2024

After months of contentious debate and near government shutdowns, Congress approved appropriations for fiscal year 2024, which President Biden quickly signed into law. The spending package...

  • Blog

Refugees and Asylum Seekers Generate Billions of Dollars More Than They Cost the U.S. Government

February 22, 2024

A report released this month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that refugees and asylees have generated tens of billions of dollars more in local, state, and federal...

  • Blog

Seeking Refuge Across the US, Little Amal Starts Her Journey

September 7, 2023

Co-authors: Micaela McConnell, Paloma Ramos “Don’t forget about us,” is the cornerstone message that will be amplified across the United States this fall as Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a 10-...

  • Blog

DHS Launches Process for Afghans to Extend Permission to Stay in the US

June 9, 2023

Time was running out for many Afghan refugees living and working in the United States after American troops withdrew from Afghanistan. Thanks to the Biden administration’s recent decision to...

  • Blog

Title 42’s End May Be in Sight. Good Riddance.

December 21, 2022

More than two and a half years after it began, the “public health” policy known as Title 42 may finally be nearing an end. On Monday, a coalition of GOP-led states submitted a last-ditch request...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Press Release

NEW REPORT: Gaps in Detention Data from Torrance Detention Facility Show Racial Disparities

October 24, 2024
In a New Mexico detention center, ICE categorized People with African, Asian, and South American backgrounds as racially ‘white’
  • Press Release

Ninth Circuit Upholds Rights of Asylum Seekers, Rules “Metering” Unlawful

October 23, 2024
In a decision issued on Oct. 23, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals largely affirmed a lower court decision that found the U.S. government's systemic practice of turning back asylum seekers ("metering") at the U.S.-Mexico border is unlawful.
  • Press Release

Court Hears Challenge to Asylum Turnback

October 13, 2023
On October 13, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California will hear arguments in Al Otro Lado and Haitian Bridge Alliance v. Mayorkas, a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s unlawful policy of turning back people seeking asylum without a CBP One appointment.
  • Press Release

Solicitantes de Asilo Piden a la Corte Bloquear la Política de Rechazo

August 10, 2023
El miércoles, un grupo de solicitantes de asilo presentó una petición para bloquear la política ilegal de la administración Biden de rechazar a las personas que buscan asilo en los puertos de entrada a lo largo de la frontera con Estados Unidos.
  • Press Release

Asylum Seekers Ask Court to Block Turnback Policy

August 10, 2023
On Wednesday a group of asylum seekers moved to block the Biden administration’s unlawful policy of turning back people seeking asylum at ports of entry along the southern border.
  • Press Release

New Report Reveals Refugees' Profound Economic Contributions and Integration in the United States

June 20, 2023
The American Immigration Council unveils a new report highlighting the substantial economic and social impact of refugees in the United States.
  • Press Release

American Immigration Council Unveils Blueprint for a Modern and Functional Border and Asylum System

May 3, 2023
The American Immigration Council released a new vision and blueprint for the border that highlights the need for a modern and functional system of humanitarian protection and border management in the United States.
  • Press Release

The Biden Administration Announces Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program

January 19, 2023
The Biden administration announced a new program allowing U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor an individual to enter the United States as a formal refugee.
  • Press Release

Biden Administration Pairs Humanitarian Aid and H-2B Visa Expansion with Trump-Style Border Enforcement in Venezuelan Response Plan

October 24, 2022
The American Immigration Council alongside responded to the Biden Administration’s announcement of a parole program to protect some Venezuelan nationals with ties to the U.S., expansion of Title 42 to expel Venezuelans who cross the border without prior authorization, and nearly 65,000 added visas under the H-2B program.
  • Press Release

Statement on Executive Order on Refugees and Muslim Admissions

January 27, 2017
These actions will isolate America and make us all party to blatant and bigoted religious targeting. These actions also ignore the multi-layered processes the government already uses to screen and vet those seeking entry to the U.S., whether as a refugee, on a tourist visa, or another visa permitting entry.
  • FOIA Litigation

Council Litigation Seeks Refugee Processing Data

This Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeks to compel the U.S. Department of State to release data about the demographics, processing, and adjudication of refugees’ applications for...

  • FOIA

Council Lawsuit Challenges USCIS Policies for Withholding Information in Refugee Case Files

This FOIA lawsuit seeks to compel U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) to end policies of unlawfully withholding application assessments, interview notes, and other records from refugees’ case files.
  • FOIA

Council Litigation Seeks Refugee Processing Data

FOIA lawsuit seeks to compel the U.S. Department of State to release data about the demographics, processing, and adjudication of refugees’ applications for admission into the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
  • FOIA

Torrance County Detention Facility’s Troubling Role in Detaining Haitian Migrants During the 2021 Del Rio Incident

 

...
  • Press Release

NEW REPORT: Gaps in Detention Data from Torrance Detention Facility Show Racial Disparities

October 24, 2024
In a New Mexico detention center, ICE categorized People with African, Asian, and South American backgrounds as racially ‘white’
  • Press Release

Ninth Circuit Upholds Rights of Asylum Seekers, Rules “Metering” Unlawful

October 23, 2024
In a decision issued on Oct. 23, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals largely affirmed a lower court decision that found the U.S. government's systemic practice of turning back asylum seekers ("metering") at the U.S.-Mexico border is unlawful.
  • FOIA

The Council Sues the Department of State for Data on Where the Agency Resettles Refugees

On April 25, the Council filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the Department of State to obtain locational and demographic data on refugees admitted to the United States.
  • FOIA

The Council Seeks Records on How the Government Interdicts Migrants at Sea

The American Immigration Council filed requests for records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to learn about the process migrants go through after they are interdicted by U.S. Coast Guard personnel.
  • Blog

Government’s Move to Terminate Flores Agreement Could Leave Immigrant Children Unprotected

May 22, 2024

The Department of Justice asked a court to partially terminate the decades-old agreement that protects the rights of immigrant children earlier this month. The government argues that the Flores...

  • FOIA

Seeking Data from the Department of State on the Cities Where Refugees Have Resettled

The Department of State used to provide data on refugee resettlement at a city level until 2018. Unfortunately, the absence of such data has caused difficulties for local communities who want to help and welcome refugees. To address this issue, the Council requested the Department of State to share this information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on April 25.

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