WASHINGTON (AP) — Refugees who were allowed to come to the United States before next week’s deadline suspending U.S. stay refugee resettlement program had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.
Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and underwent a sometimes years-long selection process to start a new life in America are now stranded in various locations around the world. This includes more than 1,600 Afghans who contributed to the American war effortas well as relatives of active duty U.S. military personnel.
President Donald Trump took a break the program this week as part of a series of decrees repressing immigration. His decision left open the possibility that refugees who had been selected to come to the United States and whose flights had been booked before Monday’s deadline could enter under surveillance.
But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the U.S. agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told its staff and stakeholders that “refugee arrivals into the United States have been suspended until further notice.”
President Donald Trump has had a busy first 24 hours at the White House. He attended various events and signed decrees and memoranda.
Just over 10,000 refugees from around the world had already gone through a lengthy screening process to come to the United States and were expected to travel in the coming weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of them were expected to arrive by the next deadline.
Gabriela was preparing for the arrival of her parents, brother and other family members who had plane tickets to Los Angeles from Guatemala in early February, after their refugee status was approved in November. The family had to flee Guatemala because Gabriela refused to let her children become part of violent gangs and the family began receiving death threats.
Once her family received their plane tickets, they sold their house and all their belongings, and she took out an $800 loan to buy them furniture for their new home, said Gabriela, who asked be identified only by her first name for fear that something would happen to her parents in Guatemala.
Then on Tuesday, their flight was canceled.
“We are still in shock. We don’t know what we can do, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Gabriela, who arrived in the United States under the refugee program last year. “I hope something changes and they can come.”
Other refugees whose flights have been canceled include more more than 1,600 Afghans allowed to come to the United States under a program put in place by the Biden administration after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Many veterans of America’s longest war I tried for years to help the Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the United States. Many were ready for a suspension of the resettlement program but hoped for special consideration for Afghans.
“The Trump administration’s early suspension 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 stand ready to work together to resolve this issue and ask for clear communication with affected families. Let’s honor our promises and defend American values.”
There is a separate pathway — a special immigrant visa program — specifically for Afghans who have worked directly with the U.S. government. VanDiver’s group said that program, established by Congress, did not appear to be affected.
Sen. Chris Coons, a staunch advocate of Afghan resettlements in Congress, said it was “heartbreaking” to see Afghans who were so far along in the process being turned away at the last minute.
“A pause in a program like this has enormous consequences for the real people who took risks to support us in our war in Afghanistan for 20 years,” the Delaware Democrat said.
Trump’s executive order signed Monday gave the State Department a week before it began halting all refugee processing and travel. It appears the timeline has been moved up, although the reason for the change is not immediately clear.
The State Department referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a military veteran, told the AP that the Trump administration had intentionally suspended the arrival of Afghans already allowed to resettle, citing ” questions about verifying these individuals. »
Critics have criticized the Biden administration’s vetting and security screening of those trying to resettle in the United States.
Trump’s orderHowever, said the refugee program would be suspended because cities and communities had been strained by “record levels of migration” and did not have the capacity “to absorb large numbers of migrants, and particularly refugees.
Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in the United States and many veterans who work to evacuate Afghans say refugees are among the most vetted and vetted immigrants and that they sometimes have to wait years before setting foot in America.
“Refugees are subject to one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many now have their trips canceled days or even hours before they begin their new lives in the United States,” he said. Krish O’Mara said. Vignarajah, director of Global Refuge, one of ten U.S. resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday.
Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum. Refugees must live outside the United States to be considered for resettlement and are typically referred to the State Department by the United Nations.
Although the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted it and then reduced the number of refugees who could enter each year.
___
Solomon reported from Miami. AP reporter Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
