Refugee flights to US CANCELED after Trump signs EO suspending Refugee Admission Program

A State Department memo to resettlement partners obtained by CNN stated, "All previously scheduled travel of refugees to the United States is being cancelled, and no new travel bookings will be made. RSCs should not request travel for any additional refugee cases at this time." A source familiar with the data told the outlet that around 10,000 refugees had their flights canceled.

The memo added, "Additionally, all refugee case processing and pre-departure activities are also suspended. RSCs and IOM should not move refugees to transit centers in anticipation of travel and should halt all pre-departure activities for refugee cases. No new referrals should be made into the USRAP."

Those with Special Immigrant Visas, which includes those who worked for the US abroad, are exempt from the cancelations and can travel to the US. Refugees already within the US will continue to receive services.

The "Realigning the United States Refugee Admission Program" executive order signed by Trump on Monday stated that over the past four years under the Biden administration, "the United States has been inundated with record levels of migration, including through the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Cities and small towns alike, from Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Ohio, to Whitewater, Wisconsin, have seen significant influxes of migrants. Even major urban centers such as New York City, Chicago, and Denver have sought Federal aid to manage the burden of new arrivals."

It later added, "The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees. This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States."

The suspension of the program will take effect at 12:01 am on January 27. Within 90 days of the order being signed, the Secretary of Homeland Security in consultation with the Secretary of State will submit a report to Trump on whether "resumption of entry of refugees into the United States under the USRAP would be in the interests of the United States." Further reports will be submitted every 90 days after that "until I determine that resumption of the USRAP is in the interests of the United States."

The executive order noted that the Secretary of Homeland Security and Secretary of State "may jointly determine to admit aliens to the United States as refugees on a case-by-case basis, in their discretion, but only so long as they determine that the entry of such aliens as refugees is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States."

Since taking office on Monday, Trump has cracked down on the soft immigration policies of the prior Biden administration, as he had promised on the campaign trail. Among the executive orders signed by Trump on Monday were one ending birthright citizenship and one designating Mexican drug cartels and human smuggling groups as foreign terrorist organizations. The USRAP was expanded under the Biden administration to allow in 125,000 people per year.

The full order, titled Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program, reads as follows:

REALIGNING THE United States REFUGEE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq., and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. Over the last 4 years, the United States has been inundated with record levels of migration, including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Cities and small towns alike, from Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Ohio, to Whitewater, Wisconsin, have seen significant influxes of migrants. Even major urban centers such as New York City, Chicago, and Denver have sought Federal aid to manage the burden of new arrivals. Some jurisdictions, like New York and Massachusetts, have even recently declared states of emergency because of increased migration.

The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees. This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.

Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to ensure that public safety and national security are paramount considerations in the administration of the USRAP, and to admit only those refugees who can fully and appropriately assimilate into the United States and to ensure that the United States preserves taxpayer resources for its citizens. It is also the policy of the United States that, to the extent permitted by law and as practicable, State and local jurisdictions be granted a role in the process of determining the placement or settlement in their jurisdictions of aliens eligible to be admitted to the United States as refugees.

Sec. 3. Realignment of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. (a) I hereby proclaim, pursuant to sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), that entry into the United States of refugees under the USRAP would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. I therefore direct that entry into the United States of refugees under the USRAP be suspended — subject to the exceptions set forth in subsection (c) of this section — until a finding is made in accordance with section 4 of this order. This suspension shall take effect at 12:01 am eastern standard time on January 27, 2025.

(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall suspend decisions on applications for refugee status, until a finding is made in accordance with section 4 of this order.

(c) Notwithstanding the suspension of the USRAP imposed pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security may jointly determine to admit aliens to the United States as refugees on a case-by-case basis, in their discretion, but only so long as they determine that the entry of such aliens as refugees is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States.

(d) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall examine existing law to determine the extent to which, consistent with applicable law, State and local jurisdictions may have greater involvement in the process of determining the placement or resettlement of refugees in their jurisdictions, and shall devise a proposal to lawfully promote such involvement. In all cases, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure that the State and local consultation requirements in 8 U.S.C. 1522(a)(2) are carried out with respect to all refugees admitted to the United States.

Sec. 4. Resumption of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Within 90 days of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit a report to the President through the Homeland Security Advisor regarding whether resumption of entry of refugees into the United States under the USRAP would be in the interests of the United States, in light of the policies outlined in section 2 of this order. The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit further reports every 90 days thereafter until I determine that resumption of the USRAP is in the interests of the United States.