Trump administration plans to review refugees admitted under Biden, memo obtained by The AP says
WASHINGTON AP The Trump administration plans a review of all refugees admitted to the U S during the Biden administration according to a memo obtained Monday by The Associated Press in the latest blow against a operation that has for decades welcomed people fleeing war and persecution into the country The review is likely to sow confusion and fear among the nearly refugees who came to the United States during that period It is likely to face legal challenges from advocates several of whom mentioned the move was part of the administration s cold-hearted cure of people trying to build new lives in the U S The memo signed by the director of U S Citizenship and Immigration Services Joseph Edlow and dated Friday declared that during the Biden years expediency and quantity were prioritized over detailed screening and vetting The memo explained that warranted a comprehensive review and re-interview of all refugees admitted from January to February The memo indicated that there will be a list of people to re-interview within three months Advocates of the refugee undertaking say that refugees are generally particular of the preponderance vetted of all people coming to the United States and that they often wait years to be able to come The memo also directly suspended green card approvals for refugees who came to the U S during the stated time period USCIS is ready to uphold the law and ensure the refugee scheme is not abused Edlow wrote People admitted to the U S as refugees are required to apply for a green card one year after they arrive in the country and usually five years after that can apply for citizenship U S Citizenship and Immigration Services the Department of Homeland Shield and the White House did not instantly respond to requests for comment The moves described in the memo are the latest to take aim at the refugee effort which the administration suspended earlier this year and later set a limit for entries to mostly white South Africans a historic low of refugees to be admitted to the U S since the operation s inception in The Trump administration more broadly has ramped up immigration enforcement as part of its promise to increase deportations of illegal immigrants The Biden administration admitted refugees from October through September Refugee admissions topped last year with the largest numbers coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo Afghanistan Venezuela and Syria Refugee advocates slammed news of the review saying that it will traumatize people who have already gone through extensive vetting to make it to the U S in the first place This plan is shockingly ill-conceived noted Naomi Steinberg vice president of U S procedures and advocacy at HIAS a refugee resettlement agency This is a new low in the administration s consistently cold-hearted recovery of people who are already building new lives and enriching the communities where they have made their homes USCIS expects to have a priority list for re-interviews within days Edlow wrote His language points to a rigorous revisiting of why refugee status was granted in the first place Testimony will include but is not limited to the circumstances establishing past persecution or a well-founded fear for principal refugees the persecutor bar and any other possible inadmissibilities he wrote Sharif Aly President of the International Refugee Assistance Project an advocacy group criticized the administration s actions in a declaration late Monday saying that refugees are already the the greater part highly vetted immigrants in the United States Besides the enormous cruelty of this undertaking it would also be a tremendous waste of executive information to review and re-interview people who have been living peacefully in our communities for years Aly stated IRAP is at present part of a lawsuit seeking to overturn the administration s suspension of refugee admissions
