WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has canceled travel plans for numerous refugees who were approved to enter the United States prior to a looming deadline that suspends the country’s refugee resettlement program. This decision affects thousands of individuals who have fled from war and persecution, many of whom have spent years navigating a complicated process to secure new beginnings in the U.S. Among those affected are over 1,600 Afghan individuals who aided the United States during its military engagement, along with family members of active military personnel.
This week, President Donald Trump issued a temporary halt to the refugee resettlement initiative as part of a series of executive actions aimed at tightening immigration. Initially, there had been some expectation that refugees whose travel had been approved and who had booked flights before the January 27 deadline might still be able to travel. However, communication from the U.S. agency managing refugee arrivals indicated that “refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice.”
According to internal documents, more than 10,000 refugees from various regions had already completed the rigorous admission process and were scheduled to travel in the coming weeks. It remains uncertain how many of those individuals were slated to travel before the upcoming deadline. Among them, a significant group includes over 1,600 Afghans who were vetted for relocation as part of a program initiated by the Biden administration following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Veterans who served in Afghanistan have long attempted to assist their Afghan partners and their families in finding safety in the U.S. While many anticipated the potential suspension of the refugee program, there was hope for exceptional support for the Afghan population. Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and leader of #AfghanEvac, a coalition focused on resettlement, expressed concern over the administration’s abrupt pause, stating it has left thousands of Afghan allies anxious and uncertain. He urged for proactive measures to address the situation, emphasizing the importance of fulfilling promises made to these allies.
Currently, there exists a separate special immigrant visa program tailored for Afghans who supported the U.S. government. According to VanDiver’s group, this program has not been disrupted by the recent changes at this point. Trump’s directive released on Monday had indicated that a week-long pause would occur before completely halting all processing and travel, but the immediate implementation was unexpected. The reason for this expedited timeline is not clear.
Questions directed at the State Department regarding these developments have been redirected to the White House for comment. Organizations focused on refugee assistance have stressed that this kind of legal immigration aligns with the preferences of Trump and his supporters, citing the extensive background checks that refugees undergo, sometimes involving years of waiting before they can enter the U.S.
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refuge, one of ten U.S. resettlement agencies, lamented the abrupt cessation of refugee admissions, describing it as devastating for families who have faced profound hardships and eagerly awaited their chance for a safe future. She highlighted that refugees undergo one of the most comprehensive vetting processes globally, yet many are seeing their travel arrangements canceled just before embarking on their new lives in America. “It’s utterly heartbreaking,” she stated.
It is important to note that refugees differ from individuals who arrive directly at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum. Refugees are required to be living outside the U.S. to qualify for resettlement and are typically referred to the State Department by the United Nations. Historically, the refugee resettlement program has enjoyed bipartisan support, but the previous Trump administration also placed restrictions on refugee admissions and subsequently reduced the annual intake numbers.
