Washington, D.C. – Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) strongly condemns the Trump administration’s reported directive to reopen the cases of nearly a quarter of a million refugees, threatening to revoke their long-standing protection status and destabilize lives built in safety and hope.
According to multiple reports, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued an internal memorandum ordering the ‘review and re-interview' of approximately 233,000 refugees resettled in the United States between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025. During this period, LSSNCA welcomed 1,883 refugees, who have become neighbors, friends, and thriving members of their communities in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The memo also indefinitely halts the adjudication of applications for legal permanent residency filed by refugees resettled during the previous administration.
“This directive is a betrayal of our faith values that call on us to welcome the stranger and feed the hungry, and America’s commitment to protect people fleeing persecution enshrined into law,” said Kristyn Peck, CEO of LSSNCA. “Refugees complete an extensive vetting process – including background checks, security screenings, and health evaluations by multiple federal law enforcement agencies– before they are admitted to the United States. To reopen their cases for political posturing is both cruel and destabilizing to individuals and families, who believed they had found safety.”
LSSNCA calls for the immediate rescission of this memo, which undermines the dignity of those who sought refuge and the communities that embraced them. We urge elected officials, faith leaders, and community members to join us in opposing this harmful action. Reopening refugee cases jeopardizes the well-being of new neighbors and runs contrary to the welcoming spirit of our neighbors, congregations, and communities. Protecting refugees is both a legal obligation and a moral imperative - rooted in the inherent dignity of every person.
