Trump to Review Refugees Admitted Under Biden Administration/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A memo reveals the Trump administration plans to review nearly 200,000 refugees admitted under Biden. The order pauses green card approvals and may lead to deportation reviews. Refugee advocates call the move harsh and legally questionable.
Trump Refugee Review Plan Quick Looks
- USCIS memo orders review of Biden-era refugee admissions
- Nearly 200,000 refugees from 2021–2025 affected by plan
- Green card processing suspended for these refugees
- USCIS director cites concerns over screening and vetting
- No appeal allowed unless sent to immigration court
- Refugee advocates condemn plan as cruel and wasteful
- Most affected refugees came from Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Syria
- Trump earlier capped refugee admissions to 7,500 South Africans
Trump to Review Refugees Admitted Under Biden Administration
Deep Look
The Trump administration is planning a sweeping review of all refugees admitted to the United States under President Joe Biden, a move that could threaten the immigration status of nearly 200,000 people and represents a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to reshape U.S. immigration policy.
According to a memo obtained by the Associated Press, the review targets all refugees admitted between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025, the period corresponding to Biden’s term. The document, signed by Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), states that “expediency and quantity were prioritized over detailed screening and vetting,” justifying what the agency calls a “comprehensive review and re-interview” process.
USCIS has ordered an immediate suspension of green card approvals for all refugees admitted during that time. Refugees in this group are typically eligible for permanent residency after one year and citizenship after five. However, the memo states that even those who have already received green cards will be subject to review.
Edlow emphasized that those found to be ineligible during the review “have no right to appeal” through the standard USCIS process. If placed in removal proceedings, they would be allowed to plead their case before an immigration judge.
USCIS expects to compile a priority list for re-interviews within 90 days, with interviews focusing on the original conditions under which refugee status was granted. This includes reviewing claims of persecution and any new information that may disqualify applicants.
“USCIS is ready to uphold the law and ensure the refugee program is not abused,” Edlow stated.
Refugee advocates immediately condemned the plan. Naomi Steinberg, Vice President of U.S. Policy and Advocacy at HIAS, said the move was “shockingly ill-conceived” and would re-traumatize people who had already gone through some of the world’s most rigorous immigration screening.
“This is a new low in the administration’s consistently cold-hearted treatment of people who are already building new lives and enriching the communities where they have made their homes,” Steinberg said.
Sharif Aly, President of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), echoed the criticism, noting that the refugee vetting process already involves multiple layers of security, background checks, and interviews. He also warned of the financial cost and legal chaos that would come with reviewing more than 185,000 individuals.
“Besides the enormous cruelty of this undertaking, it would also be a tremendous waste of government resources,” Aly said.
IRAP is part of a lawsuit challenging Trump’s earlier move to suspend refugee admissions entirely, a step that was taken before the cap was reset to just 7,500 refugees per year, mostly from South Africa—a historic low since the refugee program’s creation in 1980.
During Biden’s term, 185,640 refugees were admitted into the U.S., with the largest contingents coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Syria. Many of these individuals have resettled and integrated into American communities, with children enrolled in schools and families working legally.
Now, those same families could find themselves in limbo—or worse. Under the new directive, any prior approval could be reconsidered, even if the applicant is already a lawful permanent resident.
“Testimony will include, but is not limited to, the circumstances establishing past persecution or a well-founded fear… and any other potential inadmissibilities,” Edlow wrote.
Neither the White House, USCIS, nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
For the refugee community and advocacy organizations, the plan represents not just a policy shift, but a signal of increasing hostility toward humanitarian immigration under the Trump administration’s second term. Legal challenges are expected as soon as the re-interview process begins.
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