WASHINGTON, Nov 24 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered a broad review of all refugees who entered under former President Joe Biden, an internal U.S. government memo seen by Reuters said, an unprecedented move that could reopen cases of thousands who sought U.S. protection.
The order would apply to about 233,000 refugees who entered between January 20, 2021 and February 20, 2025, according to the memo signed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joe Edlow. It also orders a halt to all processing of applications for permanent residence for refugees who entered under Biden.
USCIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, a Republican, froze refugee admissions into the U.S. from around the world when he took office in January as part of his wide-ranging crackdown on legal and illegal immigration. Trump’s hardline approach is a sharp reversal of the more liberal policies of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, whose administration welcomed more than 100,000 refugees in fiscal 2024.
The USCIS memo, dated November 21, said the agency will terminate the refugee status of people already in the U.S. if they are found to not meet refugee criteria. The memo claims the Biden administration potentially prioritized expediency, quantity, and admissions over quality interviews and detailed screening and vetting.
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