FOIA Litigation on Suspension of I-485 Processing for Asylees and Refugees
July 28, 2025
As part of this ongoing litigation, USCIS disclosed two emails. One is dated March 21, 2025, and announces “a temporary hold on ‘all’ asylee/refugee I-485 adjudication.” The second email is from the Office of the Field Operations Directorate (FOD) Associate Director to FOD Leadership, is dated April 10, 2025, and states that FOD is lifting the temporary pause and will “provide field leadership with further guidance and instructions on the cases that can be processed without an interview using the Work Distribution System (WDS) and those that will require interviews prior to adjudication.” View the disclosed USCIS emails.
June 25, 2025
The American Immigration Council and AILA filed a FOIA lawsuit against DHS and USCIS to obtain records about the suspension of green card processing for asylees and refugees. Despite public reports and FOIA requests, the agencies have failed to disclose details or produce documents. (American Immigration Council and AILA v. DHS and USCIS, 6/24/25)
April 8, 2025
Following media reports in March indicating that USCIS stopped processing green card applications by asylees and refugees, AILA and the American Immigration Council filed requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with DHS and USCIS requesting:
- Agency communications about the suspension
- Records providing guidance to USCIS personnel on how to implement the suspension
- Records instructing USCIS personnel on the additional vetting measures the agency will no implement to people applying for their green cards as part of the change in policy.
View the FOIA requests: