By FARNOUSH AMIRI and REBECCA SANTANA, Related Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Refugees who had been accepted to journey to the US earlier than a deadline subsequent week suspending America’s refugee resettlement program have had their journey plans canceled by the Trump administration.
Hundreds of refugees who fled struggle and persecution and had gone by means of a typically yearslong course of to start out new lives in America are actually stranded at varied areas worldwide. That features greater than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America’s struggle effort, in addition to relations of active-duty U.S. navy personnel.
President Donald Trump paused this system this week as a part of a sequence of govt orders cracking down on immigration. His transfer had left open the chance that refugees who had been screened to return to the U.S. and had flights booked earlier than the Jan. 27 deadline would possibly be capable to get in below the wire.
There are a little bit greater than 10,000 refugees from all over the world who had already gone by means of the prolonged refugee admission course of and had journey scheduled over the following few weeks, in response to a doc obtained by the AP. It was not instantly clear what number of of these had been set to reach by upcoming deadline.
Amongst these are extra than 1,600 Afghans cleared to return to the U.S. as a part of this system that the Biden administration arrange after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Many veterans of America’s longest struggle have tried for years to assist Afghans they labored with, along with their households, discover refuge within the U.S. Many had been ready for a suspension of the resettlement program however had hoped for particular consideration for the Afghans.
“The Trump administration’s early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty,” stated 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 honor our promises and uphold America’s values.”
There’s a separate path — the particular immigrant visa program— particularly for Afghans who labored instantly with the U.S. authorities. VanDiver’s group stated that program, arrange by Congress, didn’t look like affected presently.
Trump’s order signed Monday had given the State Division every week earlier than it started to halt all processing and touring. It seems the timing was moved up, although it was not instantly clear what prompted the change.
The State Division referred inquiries to the White Home, which didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Businesses that assist refugees settle and modify to life in America have argued that that is the kind of authorized immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and typically yearslong wait that refugees endure earlier than setting foot in America.
“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 International Refuge, one of many 10 U.S. resettlement businesses, stated in an announcement Wednesday.
“Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States,” she stated. “It’s utterly heartbreaking.”
Refugees are distinct from individuals who come on to the U.S.-Mexico border with the purpose of ultimately searching for asylum. Refugees should be dwelling outdoors of the U.S. to be thought of for resettlement and are often referred to the State Division by the United Nations.
Whereas the resettlement program has traditionally loved bipartisan assist, the primary Trump administration additionally briefly halted resettlement after which lowered the variety of refugees who may enter the nation yearly.
Initially Printed: January 22, 2025 at 9:48 AM EST
