Trump's broader immigration strategy includes attempting to overturn birthright citizenship, though this effort remains blocked in court.
The Trump administration has imposed strict limitations on refugee admissions, targeting both illegal and legal immigration pathways, as reported by CBS News. This includes suspending long-standing programs designed to provide refuge to individuals fleeing conflict and crisis worldwide.
One of President Trump's initial actions in office was to indefinitely suspend the US refugee admissions program, effectively halting the entry of all refugees. This included those escaping violence in nations like Ukraine, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Haiti. The suspension left over 22,000 already-approved refugees stranded, despite completing an extensive vetting process that typically takes up to two years.
Additionally, the administration ceased several legal immigration initiatives, such as the humanitarian parole policy, which had allowed crisis-affected individuals temporary entry into the US. Programs like Uniting for Ukraine, which helped sponsor roughly 240,000 Ukrainian refugees, were also terminated.
Similarly, Afghan evacuees who fled after the fall of Kabul in 2021 face challenges, as parole renewals for many of the 70,000 arrivals were stopped. Without asylum or special visas, some may lose their legal status. The crackdown extends to sponsorship programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, as well as initiatives for Central American youth seeking to reunite with family members in the US.
The Trump administration also dismantled the CBP One mobile app, used under Biden to process asylum seekers at ports of entry, disrupting an organized approach to managing migrant applications. Further, it authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to revoke parole for over 530,000 individuals from various countries, including nearly a million migrants who used CBP One.
Rights advocates have condemned these measures as a betrayal of promises made to refugees who had already undergone rigorous vetting. Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refuge, criticized the administration for canceling refugee arrivals, saying it undermines bipartisan legal programs.
Conversely, immigration critics like Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies support the restrictions, arguing that they address perceived abuses of the parole system under the Biden administration.
Trump's broader immigration strategy includes attempting to overturn birthright citizenship, though this effort remains blocked in court.
