US Cuts Refugees’ Appeal Period to 10 Days Under New Trump Rule

The Trump administration has moved to make it easier to terminate the legal status of resettled refugees in the United States, cutting the period they have to appeal a termination notice from 30 days to 10, according to the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP).

The interim final rule, issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is due to take effect upon its formal publication in the Federal Register, scheduled for October 15, 2026, according to IRAP.

The refugee advocacy organisation said the shortened deadline would leave refugees with less time to understand allegations against them, secure legal representation and submit evidence challenging the government’s claims before losing their status and the right to work.

USCIS has also bypassed the usual public notice-and-comment process, IRAP said, arguing that the agency has not justified its decision to implement the change immediately. Federal agencies generally must seek public input before making significant regulatory changes, subject to certain exceptions.

The organisation, which has been representing refugees facing detention and termination of their legal status through litigation and individual cases, described the rule as an escalation of the administration’s immigration crackdown. It warned that the changes could facilitate wider efforts to revoke refugees’ documentation and initiate deportation proceedings.

“The government is reducing this process to mere window-dressing for an effort to strip lawfully present, lawfully admitted refugees of their status and deport them to persecution or worse,” said Laurie Ball Cooper, IRAP’s vice-president of US legal programmes.

Cooper accused the administration of pursuing a campaign against immigrants, including refugees, and said the new deadline would make it harder for people to challenge allegations before their protection status was withdrawn.

The rule follows a series of measures targeting refugees who have been resettled in the US but have not yet obtained permanent residency, according to IRAP.

Beginning in early 2026, the administration sought to arrest and detain refugees solely because they had not received green cards, the organisation said. IRAP and partner groups secured court orders blocking the policy in Minnesota and nationally.

Although those detentions were halted, refugees continued to face renewed screening interviews and notices of intent to terminate their status, sometimes on grounds IRAP considers unfounded. Some have subsequently been placed in removal proceedings after losing their refugee status, it said. IRAP has called on USCIS to withdraw the rule and urged Congress to intervene.

Source: FSX Business News