Refugees and Asylum Seekers
The United States has a longstanding tradition of welcoming individuals from around the world who are seeking protection and refuge. But recent U.S. policy has grown increasingly hostile toward asylum seekers and refugees. Instead of turning vulnerable individuals away, the United States should maintain its global reputation as a leader in refugee resettlement and humanitarian protection. Doing so not only upholds American values but sustains and strengthens our communities. Data from the Council shows that refugees and asylees make tremendous contributions to our economy as earners, taxpayers, and consumers. Learn more about the contributions and challenges of asylum seekers and refugees below.
‘Please Save Our Lives.’ LGBTQ Asylum Seekers Face Death if Deported Back to Iran
Three LGBTQ Iranians came to our southern border together a year ago, seeking asylum. All three had experienced similar harm: brutal abuse as children by family members for perceived rejection of gender norms in deeply religions families, and persecution by Iranian officials as adults. They fled Iran together… Read More
Trump Administration Responds to Tragedy By Putting Hundreds of Thousands of Legal Immigrants’ Lives On Hold
After the tragic shooting of two members of the West Virginia National Guard in DC last week, the Trump administration has taken this opportunity to further escalate its rhetoric against immigrants from countries it deems undesirable. Trump himself blustered that he was going to halt all migration from the… Read More
For Victims of Gender-Based Violence, Getting Asylum Just Got Harder
A new decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) will make it harder for people fleeing gender-based violence to gain asylum in the United States. On July 18, the BIA published its decision in Matter of K-E-S-G-, finding that people persecuted solely on account of their… Read More
New Report Reveals Devastating Impact of Trump’s Expanded Travel Ban
$715 Million in Taxes, $2.5 Billion in Spending Power at Risk WASHINGTON, DC, August 6 — A new report released today by the American Immigration Council details the sweeping economic and humanitarian toll of the Trump administration’s June 2025 travel ban, which restricts immigration from 19… Read More
New Report: Trump’s Second Term Ushers in Extreme Immigration Overhaul that Threatens Our Democracy
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 23, 2025 — A special report released today offers a sweeping analysis of the Trump administration’s first six months back in office, revealing an unprecedented transformation of the U.S. immigration system that strikes at the foundation of American democracy. While some voters may have supported… Read More
After Detaining People in El Salvador Torture Prison for 125 Days, the U.S. Government Must Be Held Accountable for Disappearing Migrants
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 19, 2025 — After 125 days imprisoned in El Salvador’s notorious “mega-prison,” the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), Venezuelan nationals Edicson Quintero Chacón and Jose Manuel Ramos Bastidas were released yesterday and placed on a U.S.-brokered flight to Venezuela, alongside approximately 250 other Venezuelans whom the United… Read More
Asylum Seekers Challenge Trump’s Asylum Shutdown Policy
People fleeing persecution and torture in their home countries have joined immigrant rights organizations to challenge the Trump administration’s unlawful shutdown of asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border. Read More
Trump Travel Ban Will Have Severe Economic, Humanitarian Costs
These travel bans do nothing to make us safer or more prosperous: they harm our economy and indiscriminately punish immigrants who otherwise qualify to come to the United States legally. Read More
Trump Administration Abruptly Stopped Processing Green Card Applications Filed by Asylees, Refugees. A FOIA Request Seeks Answers
On March 25, news reports surfaced that the Trump administration imposed a suspension in the processing of certain green card applications. The news reports stated that a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official confirmed the suspension. The agency said the suspension applied to people who entered the… Read More
Trump’s Day 1 Orders Use Fearmongering to Expand His Immigration Authority
On January 20, 2025, the day President Trump took office for his second term, he issued a series of immigration-related executive orders and proclamations that will quickly re-shape the U.S. immigration system. These executive orders affect nearly every facet of a complex and demanding system. Most of the policy… Read More
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No one should face the immigration system alone
