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Joint letter led by Church World Service and Refugee Council USA warns tens of thousands of refugees are caught in a ‘deadly bureaucratic trap’ 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Ahead of Thursday’s deadline for states to end Medicaid eligibility for many refugees in U.S. communities, Church World Service (CWS) and Refugee Council USA issued a joint letter signed by 58 other refugee-serving, religious, veteran, refugee-led, humanitarian and community-based organizations calling for an end to the green card processing freeze and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) ‘re-vetting’ initiative that targets resettled refugees.  

In July 2025, Congress passed legislation, H.R. 1, mandating that refugees and other humanitarian entrants without green cards will be cut off from Medicaid, Medicare and CHIP eligibility. Meanwhile, USCIS has continued its adjudication pause on over 100,000 refugee green card applications, leaving resettled refugees in a deadly bureaucratic trap. The two policies combined will leave many refugees without health coverage, which will have devastating consequences, particularly for those who count on Medicaid for lifesaving care. Though children and pregnant women in some states will continue to be able to access Medicaid through programs like CHIPRA 214, tens of thousands of pending green card applicants will lose their health coverage as soon as tomorrow, Oct. 1.  

In tandem with frivolous ‘re-vetting’ of already arrived refugees, the administration is destabilizing decades of precedent and putting new members of our communities in harm’s way. 

As the undersigned organizations stated in today’s letter:  (see below 

This bureaucratic trap has ensnared refugees across the country. If left unaddressed, it is a trap that will have deadly consequences. It is also certain to exact enormous costs on state and local communities already struggling with cost shifts and broad cuts to federal support. These are conditions that must be treated, and local hospitals and health care systems – in addition to food banks, churches and congregations, and local nonprofits – will take on the burden of doing so unless the administration steps in and begins processing refugee green cards again.  

The U.S. government promised resettled refugees permanent protection and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety. Providing basic support to these refugees in the first years after they arrive is an investment in our economic growth and security. Across administrations, data shows that when properly supported during the resettlement process, refugees and asylees bring massive fiscal benefits. 

CWS Chief Strategy Officer, Erol Kekic, called for an immediate end to burdensome and superfluous directives that negatively impact refugees: 

Tomorrow, refugees across the country will lose health coverage on which they depend. Many did exactly what the law requires, applying for their green cards months or even years ago. But the Trump administration has halted green card processing for most refugees, leaving them with no clear path to eligibility for life-sustaining benefits. For some, the consequences of being cut off from Medicaid could be deadly.  

At the same time, the administration continues to target refugees with an unjust “re-vetting” initiative, subjecting individuals who have already cleared the most rigorous screening in the U.S. immigration system to unnecessary scrutiny and re-traumatization. Church World Service calls on the Trump administration to immediately and fully resume the processing of refugee green card applications and end the re-vetting of refugees. 

Executive Director of Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), John Slocum, said: 

Stripping refugee arrivals of their eligibility for health care and food assistance was already devastating to vulnerable populations who fled violence and persecution. To compound that harm by pausing or in any way delaying refugees’ green card application processing and adjudications is beyond cruel. At every turn, the Trump administration has destabilized and disrupted the diverse social fabric of our communities. Coupled with the “re-vetting” of resettled refugees—as a pretext to wrongfully attack their refugee status—these policies have real-world, deadly consequences, and our communities both bear witness and the cost. 

More than 45 years ago, Congress decided that refugees who qualify shall receive lawful permanent residence. We therefore urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and USCIS to: 

• Resume full adjudication of refugee I-485 applications immediately and commit publicly to clearing the backlog.  

• Immediately establish, a dedicated channel through which members of Congress and legal representatives can request expedited adjudication for applicants facing termination of medical coverage.  

• End the unnecessary re-vetting of refugees who have already cleared the most rigorous screening in the U.S. immigration system.