World

Trump cancels travel for refugees to U.S., leaving thousands who were already approved stranded

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a Jan. 27 deadline that suspends the U.S. refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans cancelled by the Trump administration.

More than 1,600 Afghans cleared to resettle in the U.S. among those affected

A person stand silhouetted in a window
An Afghan refugee, who asked not to use her name and not to show her face fearing her identity could lead to her capture, poses in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday. The U.S. agency overseeing refugee processing and arrival says refugee arrivals to the U.S. 'have been suspended until further notice.' (Anjum Naveed/The Associated Press)

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America's refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans cancelled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong process to start new lives in the U.S. are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted the American war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty U.S. military personnel.

U.S. President Donald Trump paused the program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration. His move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the U.S. and had flights booked before the Monday deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the U.S. agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that "refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice." 

There are a little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world who had already gone through the lengthy refugee admission process and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by the upcoming deadline.

Among those are more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the U.S. as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. 

Many veterans of America's longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the U.S. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

An older man in  a navy suit speaks into a microphone
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, in Washington, on Tuesday. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/The Associated Press)

"The Trump administration's early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty," said Shawn VanDiver, a navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts.

"We are ready to partner to fix this and urge clear communication with impacted families. Let's honour our promises and uphold America's values."

There is a separate path — the special immigrant visa program — specifically for Afghans who worked directly with the U.S. government. VanDiver's group said that program, set up by Congress, did not appear to be affected at this time.

'Devastating for families'

Trump's order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and travelling. It appears the timing was moved up, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the change.

The State Department referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in the U.S. have argued that this is the type of legal immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and sometimes yearslong wait that refugees endure. 

"This abrupt halt to refugee admissions is devastating for families who have already endured unimaginable hardship and waited years for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety," Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 U.S. resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday. 

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"Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel cancelled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States," she said. "It's utterly heartbreaking." 

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the U.S.-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum. Refugees must be living outside of the U.S. to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.

While the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted resettlement and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter the country annually.