RELEASE: Tennessee Leaders Denounce Federal Policy Suspending Green Cards for 200,000 Refugees
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 25, 2025
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Tennessee Leaders Denounce Federal Policy Suspending Green Card Applications for 200,000 Refugees
The Trump administration's re-verification requirement breaks promises to families already vetted and resettled in U.S. communities
NASHVILLE– Announcement that the Trump administration is going to suspend green card processing for more than 200,000 refugees who have already been vetted and resettled in the United States has sparked sharp condemnation across Tennessee. This new policy requires refugees who have completed the rigorous asylum process to undergo re-verification before obtaining lawful permanent resident status, which breaks America's promise to vulnerable families who fled persecution and have already built lives in the United States. Among those affected are over 100,000 individuals who escaped religious persecution for their Christian faith, now facing an uncertain legal future despite having satisfied all initial requirements for resettlement.
"As a Christian pastor, I believe Scripture clearly calls us to welcome refugees and immigrants and to love our neighbors as ourselves," said Rev. Keri Cress, United Methodist Pastor in Nashville. "Yet this administration continues its discriminatory assault on our refugee neighbors. These families, including over 100,000 who fled persecution for their Christian faith, have been thoroughly vetted before being granted asylum as refugees yet now the Trump regime is trying to prevent them from being able to get their lawful permanent status by going through the re-verification process again, a long, complicated and challenging process they have already been through. America made a promise to them when they were accepted and welcomed, and now demanding they prove themselves again betrays both that promise and core Christian values this administration claims to profess. I urge you to speak out against this policy and contact your elected leaders to demand accountability for this cruel change."
Lisa Sherman Luna, Executive Director at Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition echoed the same sentiment, saying, "At TIRRC we believe everyone, regardless of the color of their skin or where they are from, deserves the freedom to build a good life for themselves, with the assurance that America will keep its promises to those to call our communities home. America has welcomed refugees since its founding, and the formal resettlement program has been in place for nearly a century. This administration's decision to halt green card processing for over 200,000 refugees who have done everything required of them is another discriminatory move that betrays our neighbors and strips away lawful status from people the US Government has already vetted and welcomed. We strongly condemn this decision and ask you to do the same. Please take five minutes to contact your federal representatives and Senators to demand they stand against this cruel policy."
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The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration whose mission is to build power, amplify our voices, and organize communities to advocate for our rights in order to build a stronger, more inclusive Tennessee where people of all nationalities, immigration statuses, and racial identities can belong and thrive. Since its founding in 2001, TIRRC has grown from a grassroots network of community leaders into one of the most diverse and effective coalitions of its kind, a model for emerging immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States.