U.S COMMITTEE FOR REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS
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USCRI Condemns the Administration’s Indefinite Suspension of Refugee Resettlement to the United States

January 21, 2025

On January 20, the Administration announced an indefinite suspension of refugee resettlement starting on January 27, 2025. Refugees will be blocked from entering the country indefinitely despite having been thoroughly vetted and approved for travel.

Through Executive Order “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” the Administration also announced that it will suspend decisions on refugee applications until further notice. The Secretary of Homeland Security is ordered to provide a recommendation on whether to resume the refugee admissions program within 90 days. However, the suspension on refugee resettlement will not be automatically lifted and will require a Presidential determination.

The move is a remarkable renunciation of U.S. leadership and commitment to humanitarian protection and freedom. An unprecedented 120 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, and over 43 million people are in need of international protection due to active conflict, oppressive regimes, and religious persecution. This action also impacts thousands of families in the United States who are now unable to reunify with their family members through the refugee program.

“The refugee program fulfills America’s profound moral leadership to ensure that the most vulnerable refugees are safely resettled. The Administration’s decision leaves refugees in danger,” said Eskinder Negash, USCRI President and CEO.

Before arriving in the United States, refugees are vetted, interviewed, and processed through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). USRAP was established in 1980 in the aftermath of the refugee crisis following the Vietnam War. Since then, the U.S. government has welcomed about 80,000 refugees annually on average.

Refugees are people who have fled their countries for fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. The millions of people who cannot return to their countries for fear of death or torture include over 5.3 million people who cannot return to Afghanistan due to fear of Taliban reprisals and brutality. Afghan women and girls are particularly at risk of human rights violations and death as the Taliban passes stricter laws curtailing their freedoms.

Additionally, violence continues to escalate in Sudan, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), forcing people to leave their homes. Refugees who have fled humanitarian crises and instability due to climate impacts in the Sahel region are also impacted by this decision.

“Refusing refugee admissions harms our nation’s standing abroad,” said Negash. Foreign policy and national security experts have stated that accepting refugees advances national security interests and strengthens relations with allies. “We are concerned that following this decision, our allies will follow suit and close their doors to people fleeing persecution. The world cannot ignore the current unprecedented displacement crisis. Without this resettlement option, millions of refugees are forced to stay in dangerous and inhumane conditions.”

USCRI remains committed to supporting refugees globally and will closely track developments.

USCRI, founded in 1911, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organization committed to working on behalf of refugees and immigrants and their transition to a dignified life.

For press inquiries, please contact: [email protected]


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