From NBC News: The Trump administration is ordering the review of all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration, according to a memo reviewed by NBC News. It is the latest in a series of actions taken by the administration to dismantle the U.S. immigration system.
The decision would potentially affect more than 200,000 refugees who began the process of legally immigrating to the U.S. over the last four years. In order to receive refugee status, applicants first must go through an extensive vetting process that often takes years to complete and begins one to two years before they arrive in the U.S.
The memo calls for a “comprehensive review and a re-interview of all refugees admitted from January 20, 2021, to February 20, 2025,” including green-card holders. It cites a finding by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that the Biden administration “potentially prioritized expediency, quantity, and admissions over quality interviews and detailed screening and vetting.”
Applicants who are not found to meet the definition of a refugee under the re-review will have no right to appeal the decision, according to the Nov. 21 memo. Spouses, children and other family members would also lose their immigration status if the original applicant is retroactively denied.
The report quotes Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, as denouncing the decision as “unprecedented and cruel.”
AfghanEvac then blasted out a lengthy statement condemning the news that the Trump administration wants to conduct better vetting of the refugees admitted during the Biden administration.
Our statement on the new USCIS policy regarding refugees and a summary of what the memo lays out. #AfghanEvac pic.twitter.com/xkJqOBCOUb
— #AfghanEvac (@afghanevac) November 25, 2025
CNN is also lamenting the move:
JUST IN: The Trump administration is planning to reinterview some refugees that were admitted to the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to CNN.
CNN: “US Citizenship and Immigration Services is expected to be charged with the review and reinterview process, according… pic.twitter.com/BMHUrZjt0w
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) November 25, 2025
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