The Trump administration has cancelled all flights on refugees who were slated to enter the United States in the coming days.
Refugees already approved to travel into the U.S. before a White House-imposed deadline suspending resettlement had their flight plans canceled anyway, according to a State Department memo given to resettlement partners and first obtained by CNN. The flight cancellations are among the many actions the Trump administration has implemented to tighten immigration and shore up border security.
The State Department confirmed the flight cancellations in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“In accordance with the Executive Order, ‘Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,’ the Department of State is coordinating with implementing partners to suspend refugee arrivals to the United States and cease processing activities,” said a State Department spokesperson.
The directive follows a day one executive order by President Donald Trump that temporarily suspends all refugee resettlement into the country.
In his executive order announcement, Trump highlighted the plight of small towns like Springfield, Ohio, and Charleroi, Pennsylvania, that have dealt with incredible logistical and infrastructure challenges due to the large influx of refugees. The president also noted that other major jurisdictions, like New York City and Massachusetts, have declared emergencies due to the weight of their migrant populations.
“The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees,” Trump said in his directive. “This order suspends the [U.S. Refugee Admissions Program] until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.
While the executive order stated that it would go into effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on Jan. 27, the flights are already being cancelled. An internal email reviewed by The Associated Press also indicated that “refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice.”
The decision to pause resettlement comes in sharp contrast to the previous administration, which had allowed incredibly high levels of refugees into the country — to the dismay of some local communities. The Biden administration allowed more than 100,000 refugees to settle in the U.S. throughout fiscal year 2024, the highest resettlement number in roughly three decades.
Local residents in Springfield, Ohio, and Charleroi, Pennsylvania — both towns which had received high numbers of refugees during the Biden administration — told the DCNF that the migrant influx had sparked an array of infrastructure challenges, such as a housing crisis, classroom shortages and more dangerous roadways.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comment from the State Department.
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