Many refugees in the US apparently have to worry about their protection status: According to media reports, the Trump administration is planning a new comprehensive examination of people admitted between 2021 and 2025.
According to media reports, US President Donald Trump’s administration wants to check the refugee status of many people living in the US. It must be ensured “that refugees do not pose a threat to national or public security,” CNN reported, citing internal authority documents.
According to the Reuters news agency, the order affects about 233,000 people who came to the US through protection programs during the term of Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. According to the AP agency, the document dated November 21 stated that “speed” and “quantity” took priority over “thorough review” during the Biden years. This confirmed “re-interviewing all refugees admitted between January 20 2021 and February 20 2025.”
The memo, signed by USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, also immediately suspended approval of green cards for refugees who came to the United States for a specified period of time, the AP wrote. Refugees must apply for a green card one year after entering the country and can usually apply for US citizenship five years later.
Refugee organization criticize sharply
The CNN anchor spoke of an “unprecedented move.” New York-based refugee organization IRAP strongly criticized the plan. The order puts vulnerable people under pressure, he said in a statement. Refugees in US admissions programs are thoroughly vetted; The planned mass inspections would also be an unnecessary burden on the authorities, IRAP criticized.
Trump administration has reduced the number of admissions
The Trump administration is cracking down on migrants – not just those without legal residency status. It is also increasingly targeting people seeking refuge from political persecution or violence in the Americas, for example from Venezuela or Haiti. The government’s decision to drastically reduce the annual maximum limit for accepting refugees has recently drawn criticism. In the future, only 7,500 refugees will be accepted annually; recently there were 125,000.
