MIAMI – The Trump administration is shortening the window refugees have to challenge the loss of their legal status, a policy critics warn could place tens of thousands of people who escaped war and persecution on the path to deportation.
Beginning Wednesday, refugees will have 10 days — down from 30 — to contest a decision revoking their status. The change is part of a wider administration effort to reshape and tighten a decades-old program that has provided a route to safety in the United States.
According to the policy document, the shorter appeals period is intended to “mitigate potential risks” posed by people admitted as refugees who, the administration says, did not meet the legal requirements for that status.
The document does not provide an estimate of how many people could be impacted. It does, however, single out refugees admitted under President Joe Biden, citing what it calls an “alarming erosion of the integrity” of the refugee system. Refugee advocates reject that characterization.
The administration is already examining the cases of at least 185,000 refugees admitted during Biden’s presidency who have applications for green cards still awaiting a decision.
Since Congress overwhelmingly approved the Refugee Act in 1980, refugee resettlement has generally enjoyed bipartisan backing in the United States. The law established an application process that is among the most extensive and closely scrutinized in the immigration system.
Advocates and resettlement organizations denounce the policy
Refugee advocates say 10 days is not enough time for people to mount an effective defense against the loss of their status.
“These families did everything asked of them,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refuge. “They submitted to interviews, background checks and years of waiting abroad, only setting foot on U.S. soil once government officials approved their applications.”
The Homeland Security Department now wants to reopen those decisions within 10 days, Vignarajah said, calling the deadline far too short to secure an attorney, translate paperwork or obtain records from countries the refugees were forced to leave.
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HIAS, a leading refugee assistance organization, said the policy could expose people who fled violence, persecution and displacement to deportation back to countries where they may face danger, torture or renewed persecution.
“They are trying to upend the core principle that refugee resettlement represents permanent protection,” said Naomi Steimberg, HIAS’ vice president.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The State Department directed questions to DHS.
The refugee program has been overhauled
The Trump administration has significantly reworked the refugee program, shifting its focus toward resettling white South Africans in the United States.
In September, officials said the United States would cap refugee admissions at 17,500 in 2027, with white South Africans expected to make up most of those admitted.
During Trump’s first term, his administration sharply reduced the annual number of refugees allowed into the country. Biden later rebuilt the program and set a goal of admitting 125,000 refugees in the final year of his presidency.
After returning to the White House for a second term, Trump immediately suspended refugee admissions, leaving people around the world stranded after they had been approved for travel to the United States. The administration eventually reopened the program, but largely restricted it to white South Africans.
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