Since January 2026, hundreds of refugees in Minnesota have completed revetting interviews, which include retelling their original stories of persecution. The majority of the 5,600 refugees affected by Operation PARRIS still await a decision for their families’ future, as most green card processing remains on hold.
A small number of refugees have received Notices of Intent to Terminate their refugee status (NOIT). We acknowledge that many of our refugee neighbors are distressed in this season. Our office continues to provide legal support and referrals to ensure refugees receive just representation.
Travel bans remain for 39 countries, preventing refugees overseas from finding safety and permanency through resettlement in the U.S.
Advocate with us
Find and call your Congressional representative
Action: Urge them to stop the mass revetting of refugees under Operation PARRIS.
Action: Urge them to restore the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program and the admissions of carefully vetted refugees.
Action: Urge them to resume green card processing.
Action: Urge them to lift travel bans, so refugees displaced around the world can find permanence to rebuild their lives in the U.S.
Action: Urge them to increase oversight over immigration enforcement officials.
The United States Refugee Admissions Program
Every year, the president must decide the “ceiling” – the maximum number – of refugees who will be resettled to the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The Trump administration has recently announced that the refugee ceiling for Fiscal Year 2026 will be just 7,500, a drastic reduction from the Fiscal Year 2025 ceiling of 125,000, and with a shift in focus away from religious minorities persecuted for their faith.
Setting the refugee ceiling at the historically low level of 7,500 – at a time when more people are forcibly displaced today than at any other time in recorded history – is inconsistent with American values and the Christian commitment to care for those who are persecuted, including those persecuted for their faith.
Urge the President to reverse course, consult with Congress, and set the refugee ceiling at 50,000, consistent with the refugee ceiling in his first term.
Ways to reach out to cabinet members, the White House, and your elected representatives:
- Find and Call your Elected Officials (or call the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the House or Senate office you request)
Sustain Legal Protections for Parolees
Urge Congress to protect lawfully present Afghans, Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Haitians and Others
Know Your Rights
Know Your Rights are multilingual resources for immigrants providing general information on what to do if you are stopped, arrested, or detained by immigration or other law enforcement.
Education and Awareness Resources
Speak the truth in love and with humility
- Use platforms such as social media, write an op-ed, read and share stories of local refugees and immigrants, highlight the biblical imperative to welcome the stranger and advocate for policies that uphold human rights and dignity.
- Invite Arrive Ministries leaders to speak at your church or teach a class as a way to educate members about biblical perspectives on immigration and the experiences of immigrants today.
- If you are a church leader, preach and teach on welcoming at your congregation
- Use these resources that include articles, trainings, podcasts and books to explore immigration from a biblical and humanitarian lens.
- Do the “I Was a Stranger” Challenge – a 40-day Scripture-reading guide, suitable either for individual study or for use by a congregation, focused on God’s heart for vulnerable foreigners
- Do the Welcoming the Stranger study in your church small groups
and ministry teams. - Download and read the Closed Doors Report on Persecuted Christians and the U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Processes and the LifeWay Study on 2024 Evangelical Views on Immigration Study
Prayer and Spiritual Support
- Offer pastoral care and support to immigrant members of the congregation, including counseling, advocacy and practical assistance with legal and social services from your local Arrive Ministries regional site.
- Pray together as a church community, dedicating time during services or in small groups to pray for immigrants, refugees, policymakers and all those affected by immigration policies.
Specific prayer points:
– For our elected officials, as Scripture commands of us (1 Tim. 2:1-2)
– For the discernment and wisdom over our elected officials (Prov. 21:1).
– For safety for all refugees and other displaced people around the globe
– For the courage to advocate and affirm the dignity of refugees and people in vulnerable situations
– For Christians to welcome the sojourner and foreigner based on biblical principles -
Download a full list of prayer points relevant to 2025 suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program
