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The Trump administration is preparing to conduct a sweeping review of every refugee admitted to the United States during President Joe Biden’s term, according to a memo obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
The directive has sparked alarm among refugee advocates, who warn the policy could cause widespread concerns for the nearly 200,000 people who fled conflict and persecution and were resettled in the country during that period.
The internal memo, dated Friday, claims the Biden administration emphasized speed and numbers over “detailed screening and vetting,” and calls for a comprehensive reassessment and of all refugees admitted from January 20, 2021, to February 20, 2025.
The document, signed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow, also freezes green card approvals for refugees who entered the United States during those years. Refugees must apply for permanent residency one year after arrival and may apply for citizenship five years later.
According to government data, the Biden administration admitted over 185,000 refugees from October 2021 through September 2024. Annual admissions exceeded 100,000 last year, with the largest groups coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Syria.
Refugee organizations criticized the plan sharply, noting that the refugee program already includes some of the most intensive vetting procedures of any U.S. immigration pathway, often requiring years of background checks and medical screenings.
“This plan is shockingly ill-conceived,” said Naomi Steinberg, HIAS vice president of U.S. policy and advocacy, according to the AP. “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.”
Advocates say reopening cases will harm families who believed they had finally reached safety and stability. Some also questioned whether federal agencies have the workforce to reprocess tens of thousands of cases while continuing to handle ongoing resettlement needs.
The plan follows other efforts by the Trump administration to increase safety through enhanced vetting of foreign nationals. The president has also worked to secure the nation’s southern border, virtually ending illegal entries in contrast with the millions allowed into the country under former President Biden.