US Accelerates Process to Revoke Refugee Status
Posted on 10/14/26 at 06:00
- US reduces defense period for refugees
- Refugees will have ten days to submit evidence
- Organizations warn of possible mass deportations
Refugee status is at risk. The United States will reduce from 30 to 10 days the period refugees have to defend themselves when the government intends to revoke refugee status, according to an announcement made Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The new regulation shortens the time available to submit evidence and arguments in response to a notification from authorities about their intention to revoke this protection.
The measure, DHS noted in the document, aims to «restore the integrity of the immigration system, mitigate risks to public and national security, and prevent fraud».
Can the US Revoke Refugee Status and Subject Refugees to Deportation?
Under the law, the US can revoke refugee status only if it determines that the person did not meet the requirements to obtain it when they were admitted to the country.
If authorities determine that the evidence and arguments presented do not justify maintaining protection, they can revoke the status and subject the refugee to deportation proceedings.
The process of obtaining this protection can take years. Among the avenues of access is referral to the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) by the UN, a US embassy, or a non-governmental organization.
Refugees Will Undergo Review Processes
Applicants must also pass interviews and security checks, including background verification by various federal agencies.
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP, in English) rejected the changes and warned that they will facilitate the «mass» deportation of refugees.
In a statement, IRAP denounced that, since the beginning of this year, the Trump Administration has been «pursuing» refugees and detaining people with this status «illegally».
The organization has sued the government for detaining and attempting to deport refugees from countries such as Rwanda, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Could the US Revoke Status From Refugees Admitted Legally?
Trump’s mass deportation campaign has also affected people who had authorization to remain in the US.
His government has withdrawn Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for several countries, canceled humanitarian parole programs, and promoted the rejection of certain asylum applications without a full hearing.
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA, in English), during the first year of his second term, 1.6 million immigrants lost their legal status.
The reduced deadline turns the process into a «mere formality» to «revoke the status of refugees who were admitted legally and live legally in the country, and deport them to places where they would suffer persecution or worse», said Laurie Ball Cooper, vice president of legal programs at IRAP in the United States.
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