According to the memo, the refugee flights were canceled in response to President Donald Trump's executive action.
CNN obtained A State Department memo warns resettlement partners that “previously scheduled refugee travel to the United States will be canceled and no new travel reservations will be made.”
“The RSC should not request travel for additional refugee cases at this time,” the memo continued, adding that “all refugee case processing and pre-departure activities are also suspended.”
“The RSC and IOM should not move refugees to transit centers in anticipation of travel and should suspend all pre-departure activities on refugee cases,” the memo continued, adding, “Make new referrals to USRAP. “It shouldn't be done,” he emphasized.
This follows a series of executive actions by President Trump on his first day, one of which was of the title“Realignment of the U.S. Refugee Admission Program.”
WATCH — President Trump signs multiple executive orders in front of cheering crowd:
“Over the past four years, the United States has experienced record levels of immigration, including through the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP),” the executive order (EO) states in part, adding that He explains that the city experienced this. He described it as a “significant influx of immigrants.” Several cities are listed, including Springfield, Ohio, which has been in the news for its influx of Haitian immigrants. The EO also notes that some regions have “declared a state of emergency due to the increase in immigration.”
Ultimately, Trump's executive order states that the United States must “protect the safety and security of Americans without compromising the availability of resources, and that will ensure the proper assimilation of refugees.”
As a result, the order suspends USRAP “until further admission of refugees into the United States is consistent with the interests of the United States.” Such benefits include the admission of refugees who can be fully assimilated in an appropriate manner.
The suspension will take full effect from Monday, January 27, 2025.
WATCH — 'America is Back' Trump White House Posts Epic Video of Donald's Return:
As Breitbart News reported, President Trump cut the refugee program to about 12,000 people in 2020, but former President Biden significantly expanded the program throughout his term.
Biden announced in 2021 that the program would be expanded to import 125,000 selected refugees from around the world in 2024 and 2025. The influx was expected to include many wives and children of illegal immigrants from South America currently living in the United States.
The full text of the presidential order can be viewed here here.
