Silver Spring, Maryland — Today, HIAS filed a class-action lawsuit alongside five other refugee advocacy organizations and 4 individuals plaintiffs from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Iraq challenging three recent Trump administration policies that strip refugees of legal protections without due process.
The lawsuit challenges actions by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that dramatically rewrite longstanding immigration protections. For decades, the government could terminate refugee status only with 30 days’ notice and an opportunity to respond. The Trump-Vance administration’s new policies instead let the government terminate refugee status with only 10 days’ notice. Those unable to defend themselves in this shortened period are subject to removal and detention.
The lawsuit argues that the administration’s actions violate the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by attempting to subject lawfully admitted refugees to mass revetting and a blanket hold on adjustment of status, which Congress never authorized. The new rules threaten thousands of refugees nationwide and undermine the commitments Congress established in the Refugee Act of 1980 to provide protection and stability to people fleeing persecution.
According to DHS’s estimates, about 113,000 refugees have pending applications for permanent residency, and the new termination rule could affect as many as 186,000 refugee cases.
“In the space of mere months, this administration has broken the sacred promise of safety and a better future that our country has offered to refugees for generations,” said Smita Dazzo, deputy domestic lead at HIAS. “Not content to merely turn away the refugees we once welcomed with open arms, the Trump administration is now deliberately seeking to send people back to danger.
The case is PANA et al. v. USCIS. Plaintiffs in the case include Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, International Institute of New England, African Communities Together (ACT), HIAS, Refugee Council USA, and four individuals from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Iraq who fled persecution or were unlawfully detained while waiting for a decision on their green card applications. They are represented by Democracy Forward, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), and pro bono counsel.
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HIAS is a 145-year-old international Jewish humanitarian organization dedicated to transforming the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. With a sharpened focus, we deliver vital support through protection services, mental health care, economic empowerment, Jewish community engagement, and robust advocacy—defending the rights of all displaced people to rebuild their lives and creating a world of welcome, safety, and opportunity