Refugee Council USA Denounces President Trump’s Ban on Vulnerable Refugees, Grinding American Values to a Halt

January 20, 2025

Washington, DC – President Trump’s executive order suspending the U.S. resettlement program leaves a dark stain on our nation’s history. On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) indefinitely, effective January 27, 2025; directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, to determine the extent to which states and localities may have greater involvement in resettlement decisions in their jurisdictions; and directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to submit a report within 90 days regarding whether the resumption of refugee admissions under the USRAP would be in the interests of the United States.

This order purports to permit exceptions for certain refugees, on a case-by-case basis, if the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security jointly determine that their admission is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States. The order also rescinds President Biden’s Executive Order 14013 of February 4, 2021, Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs To Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration. This news follows President Trump’s plans and accompanying executive orders to undertake a series of anti-refugee, anti-asylum, anti-immigrant actions.

“As the Trump administration sets in motion this dangerous and cruel anti-refugee executive order, RCUSA stands shoulder-to-shoulder with refugees and vulnerable people fleeing violence and persecution around the world. My heart is heavy for refugees who believed in the United States as a global leader in humanitarian protection. My heart is heavy for the family members who are here and desperately waiting to be reunified with loved ones,” said John Slocum, Executive Director of Refugee Council USA.

“RCUSA denounces these executive orders that betray our American values of compassion and welcome. The executive order recreating President Trump’s first-term refugee ban and suspending the bipartisan and life-saving U.S. resettlement program is unconscionable and cruel. It slams the brakes on refugee admissions, leaves countless refugees stranded and families separated, and turns our backs on the most vulnerable fleeing violence and persecution. RCUSA strongly opposes any policies that seek to eviscerate refugee and asylum protections, separate families, wrongfully target our undocumented neighbors and the communities that welcome them, harm businesses, militarize our border communities, or undermine community trust and safety.

“It bears repeating: It is our collective responsibility as Americans to welcome those most in need, offer refuge, and lift up our shared humanity. Anti-refugee, anti-asylum, and anti-immigrant executive orders are short-sighted, have no place in a compassionate democracy, and run counter to the national interest. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.”

On January 15, RCUSA released this letter, Here We Stand: An Open Letter to National, State, and Local Leaders, to unequivocally express our solidarity with refugees and forcibly displaced populations and to urge our national, state, and local leaders to sustain our nation’s capacity to welcome. RCUSA invites all communities to join our rallying cry for moral courage and bold leadership – and speak loudly against any proposal that would harm the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants.

 

Media contact: Mariam Sayeed, msayeed@rcusa.org

RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically.

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