The Trump administration plans to conduct a sweeping review of every refugee admitted to the United States during President Biden’s term, a move that immigrant advocates warn could sow fear across communities and destabilize one of the country’s oldest humanitarian programs.
According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will re-interview nearly 200,000 refugees who entered the country between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025 — and will immediately halt green card approvals for all individuals in that group.
The directive, signed by USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, argues that Biden-era officials prioritized “expediency” over “detailed screening and vetting,” requiring a full reassessment of their eligibility.
If the agency determines someone should not have qualified for refugee status, the individual “has no right to appeal,” the memo says, unless they are placed in deportation proceedings and argue their case before an immigration judge.
Refugee advocates sharply criticized the move, describing it as punitive, unnecessary, and legally questionable. They note that refugees already undergo some of the most rigorous security screenings of any category of immigrants, often waiting years for approval.
“This plan is shockingly ill-conceived,” said Naomi Steinberg of HIAS, a major resettlement agency. “People who have already rebuilt their lives here are now being retraumatized by political decisions that devalue their humanity.”
The Biden administration admitted more than 185,000 refugees from 2021 to 2024 — the largest number in decades — with arrivals primarily from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Syria. Under existing law, refugees must apply for permanent residency after one year in the United States and may seek citizenship after five.
The memo says that even refugees who already hold green cards may have their cases revisited. A priority list for re-interviews is expected within 90 days.
Advocacy groups warned that many families will now face renewed uncertainty and fear, particularly those who fled war, persecution or humanitarian crises.
“Besides the enormous cruelty of this undertaking, it is a tremendous waste of government resources,” said Sharif Aly, head of the International Refugee Assistance Project. “These are people who were thoroughly vetted and have been living peacefully in our communities for years.”
The review comes as the Trump administration dramatically reduces refugee admissions, suspends the broader refugee program, and sets a historic low ceiling of 7,500 admissions — largely limited to white South African applicants.
It also arrives amid a broader campaign to accelerate deportations and expand immigration enforcement nationwide.
USCIS, DHS, and the White House did not comment on the memo or clarify how the agency intends to manage the massive review.
For now, legal experts stress that no refugee has lost status and that federal law — not presidential directives — governs program changes. But the mere announcement, they say, has already sparked anxiety for thousands who believed their long and painful journey to safety was finally behind them.
