The Trump administration is moving to reinterview certain refugees who were admitted to the United States under former President Joe Biden as part of a comprehensive review of their cases, according to an internal memo and a source familiar with the plans.
The effort marks an unprecedented step in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — this time, targeting one of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Refugees must show that they were persecuted or face persecution in their home countries and undergo rigorous vetting prior to entering the United States in what is generally a yearslong process.
Trump officials have scrutinized the admissions program, which has historically had bipartisan support, and argued that the previous administration didn’t sufficiently vet the people who entered the US. Trump has largely halted refugee admissions, with the narrow exception of White South Africans.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services is expected to be charged with the review and reinterview process, according to the memo, dated November 21, citing an operational necessity to ensure refugees don’t pose a national security or public safety threat. Between fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2025, around 235,000 refugees entered the US after going through the admissions process.
CNN reached out to the departments of State and Homeland Security, as well as the White House, for comment.
For years, the US outpaced other countries in refugee admissions, allowing millions into the country since the Refugee Act of 1980. But the program took a hit during Trump’s first term when he slashed the number of refugees allowed to come to the US, and during the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in a temporary suspension of resettlements. Biden tried to rebuild the program and eventually set an annual ceiling of 125,000 admissions.