REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT UNDER TRUMP 2025
Short (1.5 ish sentence) summary of article
A rally protesting Trump's Muslim travel ban back in 2017.
Alba Vigaray/EPA/REX/Shutterstock
Last updated February 25, 2025 xx:xx pm (EST)
Background
Prior to the start of the Trump administration, the United States was projected to welcome approximately 120,000 refugees. Recent executive orders have imparted universal restrictions on refugee resettlement, however, the impacts of such limitations will most drastically impact the ten nationalities who comprise the majority of refugee admissions. Individuals from the following nations are projected to be most impacted by the restrictions: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Venezuela, Burma, Somalia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Eritrea, and Sudan.
In regards to asylum seekers, the Trump administration has taken similarly stringent measures. For example, one executive order suspended seeking asylum at the Southern border – an unprecedented move ever since asylum has been part of United States law since 1980. Asylum seekers from Southern and Central America are projected to be the most impacted by these restrictions.
In the few weeks since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2025, his administration has issued a series of executive orders that have dramatically affected immigrants and refugees—both those already in the United States and those seeking safety or opportunity in the country. Below is an explainer of recent executive orders and their implications for immigrant and refugee communities.
Executive Order Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program
On January 20, 2025 the Trump Administration issued an executive order, “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for an indefinite time period. This executive order has cut off the admissions process for all refugees abroad, relinquishing America’s long history of human rights and generosity. Established after the passage of the 1980 Refugee Act, the traditionally bipartisan USRAP has provided a vital service of selecting, evaluating, and screening individuals from what are deemed high priority demographics (International Rescue Committee, 2025). Additionally, the “stop work” order effectively stopped the resettlement of Afghans, the majority of whom served alongside the United States military and are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). While SIVs do not constitute as refugees, the program utilizes the same federal grant funds which were halted by the administration.
Afghan refugees in Dulles Airport en route to a processing center in 2021.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Executive Order Securing Our Border
Another executive order, “Securing Our Borders,” directed the construction of both official and interim border wall barriers as well as the reintroduction of the Migrant Protection Protocols, known as “Remain in Mexico” (Akin, 2025). Additionally, this executive order mandated the shutdown of the CBP One App, the virtual application platform that allowed individuals to schedule appointments to present themselves at designated points of entry on the U.S.-Mexico Border (Vera Institute, 2025). Both measures mean that people seeking a
This order also discontinues the humanitarian parole program, known as CHNV, ending the program that granted temporary humanitarian protection to Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan individuals with U.S.-based sponsors (Vera Institute, 2025).
Going Forward: Showing Support
The disruption to refugee resettlement has left refugees already settled in the United States uncertain of their futures and livelihoods. Organizations across the country have been instructed to halt their activities under the Department of State’s Reception and Placement Grant, which funds vital support services, including housing, language learning, cultural immersion, health care, and legal support for groups across the country (U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, 2025).
Community organizations are depending on the generous donations, time, and expertise of neighbors to support their efforts during this strenuous time. To supplement the lack of government funding, individuals can take action by donating to trusted international, national, and local organizations working to serve refugees through vital support services, such as the International Rescue Committee, Tahirih Justice Center, Global Refuge, International Neighbors, or the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.