Sweeping Directive Halts Progress for Refugees

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Trump administration has ordered an extensive review of all refugees admitted to the United States during the four-year term of former President Joe Biden, placing the futures of thousands, including many resettled from Kenya, into a state of legal limbo. The directive, detailed in an internal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) memo dated Friday, November 21, 2025, mandates fresh interviews and intensive vetting for approximately 200,000 to 233,000 individuals who arrived between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025.

Signed by USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow, the memo also orders an immediate and indefinite halt to the processing of permanent residence (green card) applications for all refugees within this group. This move effectively freezes the pathway to citizenship for people who fled persecution and had already undergone a rigorous, multi-year vetting process prior to their arrival in the U.S. Under U.S. law, refugees are typically required to apply for a green card one year after their arrival.

The memo states the review is necessary because the Biden administration allegedly prioritized “expediency” and “quantity” over “detailed screening and vetting.” Refugee advocacy groups have vehemently disputed this claim, asserting that refugees are among the most thoroughly vetted individuals entering the United States. Groups like Refugee Council USA and the International Rescue Committee condemned the policy as unprecedented and cruel, warning it would re-traumatize vulnerable people who have already begun to rebuild their lives.

Impact on Refugees from Kenya

The policy change is expected to have a significant impact on refugees who were resettled from Kenya, which hosts one of Africa's largest refugee populations. As of December 2024, Kenya was host to 823,932 refugees and asylum-seekers, primarily located in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps. These camps have long been a major departure point for refugees from Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other nations in the region who are granted resettlement in Western countries.

While the precise number of U.S.-resettled refugees from Kenya covered by the directive is pending official confirmation, available data indicates a significant number of individuals could be affected. In 2024 alone, 4,049 refugees departed from Kenya for resettlement in various countries, according to a UNHCR report from December 2024. Another report noted that over 2,800 refugees departed Kenya for resettlement in 2023. Specifically concerning Somali refugees, many of whom reside in Dadaab, U.S. arrivals climbed from 200 in 2021 to 1,410 in 2023. The total number of affected individuals who began their journey in Kenya between January 2021 and February 2025 is still under review. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.

For these individuals, the suspension of green card processing and the prospect of re-interviews threaten to derail their integration and long-term security. Many had already established new lives, secured employment, and were on a clear path to becoming U.S. citizens. The memo indicates that if an officer determines a refugee no longer meets the criteria for protection, their status could be terminated with no right to appeal, pushing them into deportation proceedings.

Broader Context of US Immigration Policy Shift

This directive is one of the most sweeping retroactive immigration reviews in recent U.S. history and signals a return to the hardline immigration policies of the Trump administration. Upon taking office in January 2025, President Trump immediately suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Later, in October 2025, the administration set the refugee admissions cap for the 2026 fiscal year at 7,500—a historic low—with a stated preference for white South Africans.

The Biden administration had significantly increased refugee admissions, which had fallen to a record low of 11,411 in Fiscal Year 2021. By Fiscal Year 2024, the number of resettled refugees reached 100,034, the highest in three decades, as part of a stated goal to rebuild the resettlement program. The new policy effectively reverses this trend, creating widespread fear and uncertainty within refugee communities across the United States. The Department of Homeland Security defended the memo, reiterating the administration's claims about vetting standards under the previous presidency.