WASHINGTON (AP) — Refugees who had been approved to come to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America’s refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled 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 America are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty U.S. 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 U.S. 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 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.”
A little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world had already gone through the lengthy vetting process to come to the U.S. 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.
Gabriela had been preparing for the arrival of her parents, her brother and other relatives who had tickets to fly 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 be part of violent gangs and the family started getting death threats.
Once her family got their plane tickets, they sold their house and all their belongings, and she had taken out an $800 loan to buy them furniture for their new home, said Gabriela, who requested to 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 will happen,” said Gabriela, who came to the U.S. through the refugee program last year. “I hope something changes, and they can come."
Among the other refugees whose flights were canceled are more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the U.S. as part of a program 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.
“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 honor our promises and uphold America’s values."
There is a separate path — a 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.
Sen. Chris Coons, a vocal advocate for Afghan resettlements in Congress, said it was “heartbreaking” to see Afghans who were so far along in the process be turned away at the last minute.
“A pause in a program like this has huge consequences for real people who took risks to stand with us in our war in Afghanistan over 20 years,” the Delaware Democrat said.
Trump's executive order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and travel for refugees. 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.
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 paused the arrival of the Afghans already cleared for resettlement, citing “questions about the vetting of these individuals.”
Critics have faulted the Biden administration’s verification and security screening of those trying to resettle in the U.S.
Trump's order, however, said the refugee program would be suspended because cities and communities had been taxed by “record levels of migration” and didn't have the ability to “absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees."
Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in the U.S. and many veterans who work to evacuate Afghans say refugees are some of the most vetted and screened immigrants and sometimes undergo a yearslong wait before setting foot in America.
“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,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 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 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 it and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter each year.
Salomon reported from Miami. AP reporter Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
