The Trump administration has ordered a comprehensive review and re-interview of all refugees admitted to the United States under the previous Biden administration, a move that could strip protections from hundreds of thousands of people and has been condemned by refugee advocates as cruel and unnecessary .
An internal memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow, dated November 21, 2025, directs the agency to conduct a comprehensive review and re-interview of all refugees admitted between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025 . The memo states that the Biden administration prioritized "expediency" and "quantity" over "detailed screening and vetting," creating potential national security vulnerabilities that warrant this corrective action . A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated this "reckless approach undermined the integrity of our immigration system," and the review is necessary to ensure those present in the U.S. "deserve to be here" .
This directive affects approximately 200,000 to 235,000 refugees who were legally admitted during this period . As part of this review, USCIS has immediately suspended the processing of green card applications for all refugees who fall within this timeframe . If the agency determines after a re-interview that an individual should not have been granted refugee status, their status will be terminated, and they will have no right to appeal the decision, though they could plead their case in immigration court if placed in removal proceedings . The memo also states that the agency may review refugees admitted outside this period and that even those who have already received their green cards could be subject to re-examination .
Refugee aid organizations and legal associations have strongly criticized the move. Advocates consistently emphasize that refugees are already "the most highly vetted immigrants" to the United States, undergoing a multi-year process that includes multiple agency checks, biometric screening, and layered security reviews .
Mark Hetfield, president of the refugee resettlement agency HIAS, described the policy as "unspeakably cruel," noting that it threatens to "re-traumatize" people who have already built new lives in American communities . The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) called the review a "colossal waste of government resources" that sows fear and "undermines the credibility of its own institutions" . Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, highlighted the impact on Afghan allies, stating the move "breaks faith with wartime allies and damages U.S. national-security interests by signaling to the world that America's promises are conditional" .
This review is part of a broader shift in U.S. refugee policy under the Trump administration. Earlier this year, the administration largely suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and set the refugee cap for the coming year at a historic low of 7,500 people, a dramatic reduction from the 125,000 cap set under President Biden . The administration has announced that most of these limited slots will be prioritized for white Afrikaners from South Africa, a group President Trump has claimed faces genocide, despite evidence and statements from South African authorities to the contrary .