Trump administration halts travel for cleared refugees
January 23, 2025
International desk: Refugees who had been approved to come to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America’s refugee resettlement programme 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 vetting process to start new lives in US are now stranded at various locations worldwide, reports AP.
That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted US’s war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty US military personnel.
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 US and had flights booked before Monday’s deadline might be able to get in under the wire.
But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the US agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that “refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice.”
A little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world had already gone through the lengthy vetting process to come to the US and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP.
