Each month, USCRI's Policy & Advocacy team publishes analysis on the refugee, immigration, and humanitarian issues shaping our work. This edition covers our 2026 country conditions report on Haiti, the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, new legislation protecting Afghan TPS recipients, a proposed rule that would harm asylum seekers, and updates from Ukraine, Sudan, and more.

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This month we are featuring our 2026 country conditions report on Haiti. In domestic news, this newsletter covers the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, new legislation protecting Afghan TPS recipients, and an interim final rule that would harm asylum seekers. In international news, we discuss continued internal displacement in Ukraine, strikes on El Obeid, Sudan, and the recent tragedy in Ceuta. 

Be sure to check out all the social posts we’re highlighting from last month at the bottom of the newsletter. Follow USCRI on your favorite social channel so you never miss a post!

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Since our last newsletter the policy team has updated our Third Country Deportations tracker, published an overview of Afghan refugee experiences in Iran in the context of the U.S.-Iran war, and highlighted refugee back-to-school experiences in Kenya. We also published an Anti-Trafficking State of Play of 2026, mapping how federal cuts to prosecution, protection, and prevention efforts are leaving trafficking survivors with less support and greater exposure to reexploitation.  Don’t miss USCRI’s commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, written by Rachel Ryu, a staff attorney at USCRI.  

FEATURED BRIEF:

Country Conditions in Haiti Remain Unsafe for Returns

Haiti is not safe. With the termination of Haitians’ Temporary Protected Status, many Haitians in the United States fear being returned to a homeland where massacre is normalized. Due to widespread gang violence and corruption, more than one million people are internally displaced and at least 16,000 people have been killed since 2022. 

To understand the threats deported Haitians may face upon return, last week USCRI published an updated 2026 Country Conditions report on Haiti. The report covers corruption and impunity, humanitarian needs, the collapse of medical infrastructure, gender-based and sexual violence, and the specific challenges likely to face returnees. 

For the report, USCRI staff spoke to experts on Haiti’s humanitarian crisis, three of whom are based in Haiti. All spoke of life-threatening violence that pervades daily life. A representative of a Haitian women’s organization living in Port-au-Prince told USCRI that her days are marked by constant worry over safety: “For everyone, including men, women, and especially girls, the first thing that will come to mind [in the morning] is how am I going to keep myself safe from not being kidnapped, from not being assaulted, and for not being the victims or the survivors of gang violence.” 

The report concludes that returning individuals to conditions of well-founded persecution risk would violate the principle of non-refoulement, a binding U.S. obligation, and calls for documented country conditions, rather than a general narrative of "fixed" crisis, to inform policy on Haitians' protection status. 

Read the full report here.

• Haiti TPS Termination Takes Effect as Designations Narrow to Four Countries: Following the Supreme Court's June 25 decision in Mullin v. Doe, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti was terminated on July 27, 2026. Four countries still have active TPS outside of court-ordered protections: El Salvador, which expires September 9; Sudan and Ukraine, both expiring October 19; and Lebanon, expiring November 27. Together, these designations cover approximately 270,000 people.  
• ICE Arrests Hit Record High in July: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded approximately 51,000 arrests in July, the highest single-month total in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) history, exceeding the previous record of 43,000 set in June. 
• Bipartisan Bill Would Restore TPS for Afghans in the United States: The bill would designate Afghanistan for TPS through July 1, 2029, allowing eligible Afghan nationals already present in the United States to apply for protection from removal and employment authorization. 
• Interim Final Rule on Affirmative Asylum Referrals Without Interview:  Under the new rule, an officer can review the paperwork alone and then refer the case to a judge without ever speaking to the applicant.
• Establishment of Frederick Douglass Anti-Trafficking Caucus: Representatives Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) launched a new bipartisan House caucus, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus.

• Mass Crossing to Ceuta Leaves Dozens Dead, Thousands Displaced: At the end of July 2026, an estimated 72,000 people crossed from Morocco to Ceuta (a Spanish enclave on the North African coast) in less than two days. Many were killed while attempting to cross, both by drowning and stampede. As of August 5, at least 100 deaths were recorded by Spanish authorities, with other organizations noting the actual figure was closer to 141 people, with dozens still missing. Read more from USCRI here.
• Renewed Displacement and Drone Strikes in El Obeid, Sudan: Recent drone strikes by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the city, killing and injuring civilians. As attacks escalate, displacement has worsened.
• Internal Displacement & Civilian Death Persist in Ukraine: IOM found that an estimated 132,000 people were forced to leave their homes between January and June 2026. The UN Human Rights Monitors in Ukraine found that in July 2026 alone, at least 437 civilians were killed and an additional 2,610 were injured. 

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Contact [email protected] with any questions or ideas for future research. 

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Each month, USCRI's Humanitarian Legal Services team breaks down immigration policy, court decisions, and legal developments into clear, easy-to-understand insights. Whether you're an attorney, advocate, service provider, or simply want to stay informed, The Legal Landscape helps you understand what today's legal decisions mean for tomorrow. Sign up here. 

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