PANA, along with five other organizations, sued the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS today to put an end to three Trump-Vance administration policies that negatively affect our refugee communities.
This class action lawsuit seeks to block three policies, including emergency relief to prevent the implementation of these policies while the case proceeds:
- An indefinite freeze on green card applications: A November 2025 policy halts processing of lawful permanent residence applications submitted by refugees admitted during the Biden administration, preventing them from obtaining the protections available to eligible refugees under federal law.
- Mass re-vetting of previously admitted refugees: The same policy directs USCIS to review and re-interview refugees who already completed extensive screening before being lawfully admitted to the United States, exposing them to possible termination of their refugee status.
- A drastic reduction in due process protections: An October 14, 2026 rule cuts the time refugees have to respond to a notice of intent to terminate their status from 30 days to just 10 days. The Trump-Vance administration implemented the rule immediately, overturning a 45-year-old protection.
Refugees are part of the fabric of this country. The United States agreed to resettle them, offering them safety and protection while fleeing horrific conditions in their home countries—and in some situations, due to the U.S.’s own foreign policy. To renege on that promise now is antithetical to our values as Americans. Refugees are some of the most vetted individuals to enter the United States and have done everything the government has asked of them.
Since PANA’s inception, PANA has always shown up for refugees, advocating for their full economic, social, and civic inclusion in the San Diego region, throughout California, and across the country. We will continue to do so and are proud of this litigation. Enough is enough.
The case is PANA et al. v. Edlow et al and the legal team includes Erez Reuveni, Jennie Kneedler, Cynthia Liao, Steven Bressler, and Robin Thurston from Democracy Forward, and Hussein Elbakri, Lupe Aguirre, Dalia Fuleihan, Kimberly Grano, Ghita Schwarz, and Pedro Sepúlveda Jr. from IRAP.
Read the complaint here.