Refugees who had been scheduled to travel to the United States after enduring a lengthy resettlement process have had their flights abruptly canceled, according to a State Department memo obtained by CNN.
The cancellations follow President Donald Trump’s recent executive order suspending refugee admissions, affecting thousands of individuals who had already booked travel. The memo instructs resettlement agencies to halt all refugee travel and case processing, citing the new policy directive.
“All previously scheduled travel of refugees to the United States is being canceled, and no new travel bookings will be made,” the memo states.
An estimated 10,000 refugees had been set to arrive in the U.S. from countries such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Venezuela, Syria, and Burma. The sudden suspension has left many refugees stranded, with some at risk of having their medical exams or security clearances expire before resettlement can proceed.
The directive also suspends all pre-departure activities, preventing refugees from being moved to transit centers in anticipation of travel. However, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders—who include individuals who worked for the U.S. government overseas—are exempt and can still travel to the U.S.
The decision has left thousands of Afghan refugees, including those awaiting final processing in third-party countries like Pakistan and Qatar, in limbo. Advocacy groups warn that the suspension could endanger those who worked alongside U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan, including families of U.S. troops and Afghan partner forces.
Trump’s executive order argues that the United States is unable to absorb the recent influx of migrants and refugees, aligning with his administration’s broader efforts to restrict immigration. The refugee admissions program, which previously allowed up to 125,000 annual arrivals under former President Joe Biden, is now effectively frozen.
The move has sparked concerns among humanitarian organizations, which warn that thousands of vulnerable refugees could now be at risk with no clear timeline for when or if admissions will resume.
