Statement from Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)/USA on New IFR, Removing 30-Day Refugee Termination Notice

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In response to the news that tomorrow, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS – part of the Department of Homeland Security) will publish an interim final rule (IFR), Removing 30-Day Refugee Termination Notice, in the Federal Register, JRS/USA Vice President of Advocacy and Policy Dorothea Lay gave the following statement:

“This new IFR would allow the Department of Homeland Security to fast-track the termination of refugee status and potential removal of people who fled persecution in their homelands and were lawfully admitted to this country after being thoroughly vetted. This is a violation of dictates of fairness, due process and respect for human dignity. We call on DHS to not let our country become a place where people we invite to build new lives here can’t count on us to keep our promises.”

The rule, set to become effective when it is published, will compound the devastating effects of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) directives, ordering a far-reaching, unnecessary, and wasteful review of more than 200,000 refugees who underwent comprehensive vetting before being admitted to the U.S. It will allow refugees a mere 10 days to respond to efforts by DHS to terminate their status, crippling their ability to seek counsel and defend against efforts to terminate their status and seek to remove them, potentially back to persecution or other dangerous circumstances.

Mass “re-vetting” of individuals who have been working to rebuild their lives here, after they were approved through the US Refugee Program’s (USRAP’s) extensive processing and background checks, is cruel and senseless. Doing so in the hasty and reckless manner announced by this rule violates basic concepts of due process, fairness and compassion.

As a Jesuit, Catholic organization, JRS also emphasizes that this IFR conflicts with core Catholic teaching on migration issues, which states that countries must regulate borders with justice and mercy – that control of immigration must be governed by concern for all people, and that the burden of emergencies cannot be placed solely on nations immediately adjacent to crises. (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) The admission and welcoming of refugees through the USRAP are crucial measures that uphold these values and that we have a moral imperative to support.

About Jesuit Refugee Service:

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is part of Jesuit Refugee Service International, serving refugees and other forcibly displaced people in more than 50 countries. Dedicated to accompanying, serving, and advocating on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced people, JRS provides education, livelihoods support, emergency assistance, mental health and psychosocial support services, and more to individuals and communities worldwide.