President Donald Trump’s sweeping refugee restrictions have left thousands of displaced people in limbo, many of whom had completed security screenings, sold property, and prepared to board flights to the United States before the doors abruptly closed.
Trump suspended the refugee program on his first day back in office, halting processing for roughly 600,000 people already deep into vetting. Although admissions technically resumed in October, the ceiling has been lowered to just 7,500 — the smallest annual intake since the modern U.S. refugee system was created, and heavily weighted toward white South African applicants.
The new rules were tightened further this month after an Afghan national was identified as a suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers. The administration now plans to reassess refugees admitted under the Biden administration, heightening anxiety for those already resettled.
Advocates warn the United States is abandoning families to danger and uncertainty after promising them safety. Lawyer Mevlüde Akay Alp, who is challenging the freeze, says only about 100 non–South African refugees have been admitted so far under court order.
The Dawood family waited years to resettle from northern Iraq. Two siblings, Ibrahim and Ava, were flown to Connecticut in late 2024, but their parents and brother Mohammed were suddenly blocked from travel after a medical delay triggered their reclassification under the new policy.
Nearly a year later, Mohammed and his parents remain stuck in Irbil. Without residency status, he cannot legally work, travel, or plan for the future. He says he had hoped to start a business or return to engineering studies in the U.S., but instead waits on remittances from relatives abroad.
While the family in America navigates medical appointments and school with volunteer support, the emotional toll is heavy. Ibrahim says his mother cries in nearly every phone call, regretting that she cannot be in Connecticut to care for her daughter.
Chinese pastor and dissident writer Lu Taizhi fled persecution more than a decade ago, eventually securing U.N. refugee approval for U.S. resettlement in 2024. But three scheduled flights have been canceled — the last two after Trump took office — leaving his family divided across Thailand.
Lu, who has faced state harassment, censorship, and detention for his activism and Christian preaching, supports Trump’s stance on Beijing but says he is devastated by the suspension that has halted his family’s escape. Despite being approved, his case has been placed on indefinite hold.
Trump officials defend the crackdown as a means to protect U.S. economic and security interests and to vet previous admissions. Critics argue the system has been gutted beyond recognition, eliminating a lifeline for people fleeing war, torture, or religious persecution.
Many refugees interviewed expressed confusion at being turned away after doing everything legally required. They had waited years, paid fees, passed background checks, and already said goodbye to their homes.
“It’s important that we don’t abandon the thousands of people who relied on America’s promise,” Akay Alp said.
