Overview
- A Nov. 21 memorandum calls for a comprehensive review and a new interview for all refugees admitted from Jan. 20, 2021 to Feb. 20, 2025.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is identified as the lead agency expected to carry out the re-interviews to reassess vetting.
- Coverage by AP and CNN estimates the directive could affect roughly 200,000 to about 235,000 people admitted through the refugee program in that period.
- Advocates warn the plan will generate fear and confusion among refugees who already completed years of screening before admission.
- The administration has largely halted new refugee admissions with a narrow exception for white South Africans, and officials have not detailed timelines or procedures for the review.