The Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that the United States will reduce the time refugees have to defend themselves when the government seeks to revoke their status from 30 days to 10 days.
The new regulation shortens the time refugees have to present evidence and arguments in response to a government notice of intent to revoke their protection.
According to the DHS document, the measure seeks to “restore integrity to the immigration system, mitigate risks to national security and public safety, and prevent fraud and exploitation.”
The government can only take back refugee status if it decides that the person did not meet the rules for getting it when they came to the country, according to US law.
If authorities determine that the evidence and arguments presented do not justify maintaining the protection, they may revoke the individual’s status and subject them to deportation proceedings.
The process of obtaining protection can take years; one pathway to eligibility is referral to the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) by the United Nations, a US embassy, or a nongovernmental organization.
Applicants must also pass interviews and security screenings, which include background checks by various federal agencies.
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) rejected the changes, warning that they would facilitate the “mass deportation” of refugees.
In a statement, IRAP denounced the Trump administration for «persecuting» refugees and «illegally» detaining individuals with refugee status since early 2026.
IRAP has sued the government for detaining and attempting to deport refugees from countries such as Rwanda, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Trump’s campaign of mass deportations has also affected individuals authorized to remain in the US. His administration has withdrawn TPS protections for several countries, canceled humanitarian parole programs, and sought to deny certain asylum claims without a full hearing.
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, 1.6 million migrants lost their legal status during the first year of Trump’s second term.
Laurie Ball Cooper, IRAP’s vice president of legal programs in the US, said that the shortened timeline turns the process into a “mere formality” for stripping legally admitted refugees who are living in the country lawfully of their status and deporting them to places where they would face persecution or worse