Trump administration cancels travel for refugees already cleared to resettle in the U.S.

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WASHINGTON —  Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a Jan. 27 deadline suspending America’s refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans cancelled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees are now stranded at various locations around the globe.

The suspension was in an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Monday. It left open the possibility that people who had undergone the lengthy process to be approved as refugees and permitted to come to the U.S., and had flights booked before that deadline, might still be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email reviewed Wednesday by The Associated Press, the U.S. agency overseeing refugee processing and arrival told staff and stakeholders that “refugee arrival to the United States have been suspended until further notice.”

Among those affected are the more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to resettle in the U.S. as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. That number includes those who worked alongside American soldiers during the war as well as family members of active-duty U.S. military personnel.

Trump’s order had given the agency until Jan. 27 before it began to halt all processing and traveling. Now, however, it appears the timing in the order was moved up. It was not immediately clear what prompted the change.

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the U.S.-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum in the U.S. 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.

They undergo extensive screening before coming to the U.S. Once in the U.S., they are usually paired with a resettlement agency that helps them adjust to life in America. That includes help finding a job and get their children enrolled in school.