The Trump administration has canceled travel plans for refugees who were allowed to travel to the United States before the Jan. 27 deadline to suspend the U.S. refugee resettlement program.
Thousands of refugees are currently stranded in various places around the world.
The suspension took place pursuant to an executive order signed on Monday by US President Donald Trump. It left open the possibility that people who had gone through the lengthy process to obtain refugee status and entry to the U.S. and whose flights were booked before that deadline would still be able to get under the wire.
But in an email reviewed Wednesday by The Associated Press, the U.S. agency that oversees refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that “refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice.”
Those affected include more than 1,600 Afghans who were allowed to resettle in the U.S. under a program launched by the Biden administration after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. This number also includes people who worked with American soldiers during the war as family members of military personnel USA in active service.
Trump's order gave the agency until Jan. 27, after which it began suspending all processing and travel. Now, however, it appears that the order date has been pushed back. It was not immediately clear what caused the change.
Refugees are different from people who arrive directly at the U.S.-Mexico border to ultimately seek asylum in the U.S. Refugees must live outside the United States to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the Department of State by the United Nations.
Before arriving in the country, they undergo a detailed inspection. There, they usually go to a resettlement agency that helps them adapt to life in the US. This includes help finding a job and enrolling children in school.
Antonio Gutierrez, a community organizer in Chicago, said the broader powers President Donald Trump has given ICE agents to detain and deport undocumented immigrants have his community concerned that agents could make their way into schools and churches and that families could be separated.