Four Afghan siblings, all minors, were scheduled to join their parents who had resettled in Massachusetts on Thursday – a few days before the January 27 shutdown date mentioned in President Donald Trump’s executive order that halted U.S. refugee resettlements.

However, their flight and others planned for the upcoming week were unexpectedly canceled, as reported by Church World Service, a resettlement agency that had prepared to welcome them.

This cancellation came after U.S. officials informed resettlement partners late Tuesday that all planned travel for approved refugees was being revoked, according to a memo reviewed by YSL News.

The sudden stop in travel took refugee agencies by surprise and disrupted any last-minute plans for arrivals as the consequences of Trump’s refugee ban began to be felt both nationally and internationally.

“We hoped to bring in some of the most vulnerable cases we had scheduled for this week,” said Danilo Zak, policy director for Church World Service, highlighting the siblings who had been away from their parents for over three years.

While those already in the U.S. can continue to receive services from resettlement agencies, the memo specified that all travel arrangements and pre-departure activities for incoming refugees would be halted. The Bureau did not respond to requests for additional comments.

“Refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice,” stated Kathryn Anderson, Director of the Office of Admissions at the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, in a message to resettlement partners.

‘Cruel, unexpected and unconscionable’

This suspension will affect about 1,000 refugees scheduled to arrive in the upcoming months, just from Church World Service, one of ten such agencies that last year assisted 100,000 refugees – the highest number in 30 years.

“The indefinite ban on refugees was issued without warning; it is a particularly cruel, unexpected, and unconscionable decision,” commented John Slocum, Executive Director of Refugee Council USA. “Refusing refuge to the persecuted goes against our national values.”

Trump’s executive order, released on Monday, mandated a pause in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to assess if it aligns with “the interests of the United States,” with future reports due every 90 days on whether the program should restart.

Some refugees may still be admitted on a case-by-case basis if it is deemed “in the national interest and does not threaten the security or welfare of the United States.” Furthermore, the order allows local jurisdictions to have a bigger role in determining refugee placements where legally permissible.

Trump has often characterized the refugee program, which has received bipartisan support and helped resettle over 3 million refugees fleeing conflict, harassment, and violence since 1980, as a security risk that burdens communities.

Contrarily, advocates argue that refugees who come through this program are among the most carefully screened immigrants, undergoing extensive security checks, medical evaluations, and interviews before receiving resettlement assistance from local agencies nationwide. A federal study revealed that over a 15-year period, refugees contributed $123 billion more in taxes than they utilized in government resources.

Monday’s directive mirrored Trump’s earlier term when he attempted to restrict travel from certain Muslim-majority countries, temporarily halted admissions, and reduced annual refugee caps to historical lows. This led to funding cuts that severely impacted some U.S. resettlement organizations.

Biden reinstated the program, increasing funding and staffing while speeding up the processing of applications. Federal data shows that admission interviews surged from 1,252 to 159,394 between 2020 and 2024.

Now, agencies are preparing for financial challenges once more.

Anderson’s memo stated that the new guidelines don’t apply to Afghans with Special Immigration Visas (SIV), a program for individuals who worked directly for U.S. forces during the conflict and which was expedited by President Biden following the military withdrawal. They can continue to travel and access resettlement assistance, as per the memo.

Refugee suspension cuts off thousands more Afghans

However, the freeze also halts thousands of Afghans and their families who do not qualify for special visas yet still need refugee status due to their support of the U.S. mission in various capacities, according to Shawn VanDiver, head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition helping Afghan refugees. He noted that around 1,600 are set to travel within the next few months.

Many of these individuals remain stuck in third countries, including one former Afghan army member in Pakistan who spoke to YSL News on the condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.

After serving alongside the U.S.-led coalition forces, this individual fled to Pakistan following the U.S. exit in 2021 to avoid persecution and threats. They applied for the U.S. refugee program and completed medical exams and interviews just before the travel suspension. Living in Pakistan, they face harassment from law enforcement and insecurity.

“I was heartbroken to learn that the resettlement process has come to a halt; it has left me feeling desolate and hopeless,” the Afghan recounted. “We urgently need assistance to find safety and hope.”

In an effort to convince the Trump Administration to restore the program, many refugee advocates are striving to clarify the distinction between undocumented immigrants and legal, well-vetted refugees.

However, even if the program is eventually reinstated, refugees who have completed all required medical and background checks are likely to find their approvals expire, forcing them to restart the entire process, resettlement officials warned. This will be a setback for those who have already waited for years, if not decades.

During the fiscal year 2023, over two-thirds of resettled refugees originated from The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. Those who had begun their journey to the U.S. may now have to return to refugee camps.

“There are countless stories of people who have endured immense hardship – often at risk in their initial places of asylum,” Zak noted. He added that individuals who were meant to be reunited with family members in the U.S. “are now left in limbo.”

The reduction of resettlement opportunities by the U.S., the leading destination for refugees, may diminish hope for many awaiting assistance in refugee camps from places like Thailand to Tanzania, especially as wars and crises have pushed global refugee numbers to nearly 44 million, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Trump also suspended foreign development aid pending a review.

“This policy not only postpones hope; it strikes it down entirely for many who have already faced significant suffering,” commented Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refuge, an organization dedicated to helping refugees.