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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's administration has ordered a broad vetting review of all refugees who entered under former President Joe Biden, an internal U.S. government memo seen by Reuters said.
The order would apply to roughly 200,000 refugees who entered between Jan. 20, 2021 and Feb. 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.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 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 was a sharp reversal of the more liberal policies of his Democratic predecessor, Biden, whose administration welcomed more than 100,000 refugees in fiscal 2024.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services memo, dated Nov. 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.
"Given these concerns, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive review and a re-interview of all refugees admitted from Jan. 20, 2021, to Feb. 20, 2025, is warranted," the memo stated. "When appropriate, USCIS will also review and re-interview refugees admitted outside this timeframe."
