The Trump Administration crackdown on immigration leaves vetted refugees stranded in their home country or neighboring ones. 

The refugees that dream of starting a new life in the U.S. have quickly seen their hopes fade away as Trump took office on January 20, 2025. According to CBS News more than 22,000 refugees have been approved to depart to the United States after going through a 18-24 month vetting process. The Trump administration’s moratorium on resettlement programs has proven detrimental to those fleeing adverse conditions in their home countries.These families and individuals have been legally approved to come to America, and their hope should not be taken away from them. 

Since the crack down on immigration thousands of refugees have been stranded in limbo. According to NPR, a woman named Surayya worked on women’s rights campaigns with the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. She applied for the resettlement program, and was eventually approved. Now that refugee flights have been cancelled, she fears for her life. 

“I don’t know what to do,” she said. “If I go back to Afghanistan, I will be prosecuted or even be killed by the Taliban.”

This goes beyond just trying to deport drug lords and criminals, the Trump Administration has stopped legal immigration for the foreseeable future. This inevitably puts the lives of refugees in danger. The ban of legal immigration needs to be lifted now, so people escaping persecution and war do not face death. 

The refugees that have been vetted to come to the U.S. are coming with the best intentions. They see that their environment is not changing for the better, so they must make a home elsewhere. Many people simply want a better life for their children than they had; this is why they come to the United States.

According to Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, said, “Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled…” 

It is a difficult process to be approved to come to the U.S., but the ones that are vetted are coming because they want a better life for their families. The U.S. was built on legal immigration because everyone that lives in the U.S. came from somewhere. This undervalues and underrepresents native populations within the country. America  is a melting pot, stopping legal immigration violates that initiative. 

Even though the Trump Administration is pausing resettlement programs, there is a need to crackdown on illegal immigration. There needs to be regulations for those that enter the U.S. We do not want criminals coming into this country. These are people who come to the United States with the worst of intentions. Some seek to create chaos and harm others around them.

However, we can continue resettlement programs and regulate illegal immigration at the same time. The refugees that are coming to the U.S. legally have been vetted, and American citizens should know that most are looking to flee war-torn countries and persecution. There is no reason to stop legal immigration when a proper vetting system is in place.